Digimon: Solstice Reprieve
by KumoFuzei
Summary: "However, the Digital World hasn't given up on the connection yet." 600 years after the events of Adventure, the adventure, once again, evolves... Given no choice, Taran is taken into a world he doesn't quite understand wearing nothing but pyjamas. With Digimon breaching into the real world more every day, something will have to happen soon. The only question is: what?
1. Prologue: A History of Adventure

_Tai's House, Kamakura, Japan_

 _21st December 2075_

 _8:37 pm_

"Kari?" He wheezed, placing his palm on his sister's knee.

She rubbed his withered hand and then placed it back onto the bed. "Don't strain yourself."

Tai shook his head, swallowing hard. "Kari." He coughed heavily.

Kari reached over and rubbed him on the back firmly. "Tai, please, the world _needs you_ to get over this silly flu."

He laughed, leaning back in the bed and looking up at the roof. Tai smiled and she could only assume he was remembering something. "Kari, I'm old."

"You don't say; me too!" She laughed a little and then he joined in.

"What I mean is—"

Kari shook her head and whispered, "Tai, please don't."

"Kari…" Reaching over, he placed his hand on hers as the tears trickled down her cheeks. "You're not working, are you?"

Looking up, she traced her eyes over his pale blue pyjamas. She chuckled a little and rubbed his hand. "You know I'm not."

Coughing, he reached over onto the wooden table by his bed and pulled open the drawer. Shakily reaching in, he withdrew a piece of paper and placed it in her lap. "Sign it."

"Tai, what?" Scanning the paper up and down rapidly, she opened her mouth, trying to form words. She glanced at him briefly, and asked, "What is this, Tai?"

"You'll make me proud."

The tears glistening in his eyes started to make her well up too. "Tai, don't talk like that. This— this isn't—"

He smiled, like he always did. "Sign the paper, don't make me." He coughed. "All the stuff I did for you—it's only fair." The warm look in his brown eyes convinced her to hear out the request.

Kari read over the paper and noted words like: 'power transfer'; 'immediate effect'; 'politician'. Sniffling, she looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Tai breathed deeply, smiling fondly. "I _want_ to play football with my sister, but I _need_ you to sign this for me, Kari. After this, it's official."

Looking at the paper, she sniffed and then giggled. "I don't have a pen."

"There's one on the bedside." Exhaling, he closed his eyes. "Table."

Kari picked up the black pen and brought it to the paper, hovering over the area she had to sign. "Tai—"

"Remember when you and Agumon robbed that vending machine?" Tai chuckled, his eyes still closed.

Kari laughed a little. "I remember you getting your spit all over my whistle."

Tai moved the breathing mask from his mouth and coughed into his hand before replacing it. He held the hand in front of his face for a second, seemingly waiting for another cough, and then showed her it. "It's good spit."

They both laughed loudly, remembering the moments they'd shared together. The birthday's, the Christmases; he was even there for the birth of her children. "Tai…"

"Sign the contract or I'll unleash my grandchildren on you." He opened his eyes and winked.

"There's still time—"

"Kari…"

Grabbing hold of his hand, she squeezed it gently and smiled. "There's still time for us to play football, Tai."

Tai opened his eyes, and looked at her for a few seconds before he started laughing.

"I'm serious," she insisted. Standing up, she walked over to the corner of the small bedroom and reached for the tattered black and white football that was on a wooden chair.

"I'm too old for this," he protested, laughing.

"Nonsense." As she bent down, she knocked a photo frame over on the table next to the chair. Sighing, she picked it up but froze when she saw the photo inside. "You—" Kari smiled, a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek, and picked up the photo. Wiping the dust off the glass, she walked back over with it in hand.

She placed the photo onto his bed and propped it up so he could see without sitting up. "You kept the photo… all this time and you still have it."

Tai looked over at the photo and a grin spread across his face. Groaning, he pushed himself up and picked up the photo. "Of course I have it." He rubbed his thumb over the glass, his eyes glistening with the memories. "Whenever I worry about something I look at this photo and." He grinned. "And it reminds me that I've fought much worse odds in the past and won."

"You'll win again, Tai." Kari gave him a stern glare. "Promise me."

"Kari, do you know the difference between courage and bravery?" An IV line swung idly by the bed, dripping fluid onto the floor.

She sighed and brushed down her ruffled pink dress; she wasn't in the mood for him to act like a big brother right now. "I'm not an idiot, Tai—"

"Bravery is when you act because of instinct. Your body moves and the mind catches up later. Courage is different because you know there's a risk and you're terrified—" Swallowing, he continued. "But you do what you have to do because otherwise people get hurt."

Kari pondered the thought for a moment. "But there's so much peace at the moment, Tai. I'm glad you turned that knucklehead football brain into something useful, but I just wish—"

"You don't need more time." He grabbed hold of her hand and placed the photo of the group at the end of their first adventure back onto the bed. "No one needs more time; time is precious so use it rather than waste it asking for more. You remember mum telling us about the people who wasted their lives asking for more wishes from the genie?"

Raising her finger to her nose to stem the flow as tears welled up in her eyes, she nodded. "I remember."

"Don't waste your life, Kari."

Kari gasped. "Is Agumon—?"

Tai half-smiled. "He's with Gennai. Kari, do you remember when we used to do prank calls?"

Kari giggled. "Your accents were great."

Tai nodded, clearly remembering. He took off the breathing mask, putting it next to him on the bed. "I've got an idea. Let's prank call 119."

"Emergency services?" Kari chuckled. "We can't do that, it's wrong. And besides, I don't even remember how to do a prank call."

"It's easy; I'll tell you what to say. Us old people need to have a little fun now and then."

Kari gripped onto the soft fabric of her dress. "Tai, please—"

Tai picked up the phone and typed in the number; he held the phone out to her and nodded. "It's ringing."

Kari timidly took the phone, watching the twinkle in his eyes. "Tai…"

"Ask them—" He coughed vehemently, covering his mouth with his hand but this time he didn't show her, wiping it onto the white sheets. "Ask them why they hung up on you and then start crying."

"Tai—" She heard the sound of the operator on the other side and saw a smile spread across Tai's face as he closed his eyes.

Standing up, she looked away from Tai's bed. "Why—? Why did you—?" She began to sob, falling onto a chair, she tried to support herself, but the wooden chair caved and she dropped onto her knees as it clattered onto the floor. She covered her mouth and tried to get the tears to come out but the pain she felt was stopping them. Behind her, she could hear silence. Not a single breath.

"Hello, madam?"

Kari dropped the phone, too weak to hold onto it, but the speaker turned on as it hit the ground.

"Madam, we don't have time for prank calls. Frankly, you should know better at your age."

Wailing, she shivered as the reality hit her and the tears finally began to spill. "He's dead."

* * *

 _Izzy's underground Lab, Texas, America_

 _21st December 2100_

 _5:43 pm_

The alarms rang in her ears as she looked between Izzy and the metal door at the other end of the long room. "Izzy, what do we do?" she yelled above the sound of people banging on the door.

"Just one more minute!" he insisted, tapping away on the huge master computer behind her.

"What is it you're doing again?" The large metal room allowed their voices to echo.

"I'm making a safe haven in the Digital World. After that, we've done our bit, Kari. They won't be able to hurt the Digimon."

Kari turned back, tracing her eyes over the large pillar that made up the computer. Izzy was tapping away at the keyboard that jutted out of the bottom while the screen above his head showed a string of characters in green on a black background. "But Tai said—"

Izzy tapped a single key and then spun around. His fiery red hair was now grey and his features had withered with time. He'd grown a lot since their first trip to the Digital World, but he was still kind of short. Walking over the metal flooring slowly, he placed his hands on her wrinkled arms. "You did a wonderful job, Kari. The world just wasn't ready for Digimon yet."

She glanced back at the door over her shoulder as the banging grew louder. "But—"

Izzy turned her head back gently, smiling. His suit was torn and covered in dirt and his eyes betrayed the fear he was feeling but not showing. "It's just us now, Kari, we did everything we could."

Kari looked up at his stern expression. He was right. She had spent the last twenty five years of her life working hard to ensure that the two worlds could get along; however, as they had found out when Sora was killed on live television, that wasn't possible. The man she had given her position to, Jared Piston, was the head of the people who wanted to recolonize the Digital World with humans. She had failed.

Izzy pulled her close to his chest and she felt water dripping onto her head. Was he crying? "Izzy?"  
He sniffed. "I'm glad you were the eighth Digidestined."

He eventually moved away from her, pulling the purple shawl back around her shoulders, and smiled. "Run, there's a Digital Portal open to the safe haven in that storeroom." He pointed at one of the many single metal doors around the room while placing a key in her hand.

Kari felt sick. She couldn't leave him and she certainly couldn't move fast enough to escape. "I'm far too old to be running, Izzy."

Izzy laughed, a tear dropping from his chin onto her black shoes. "And I'm far too old to do favours for your idiot older brother, but look where we are." He looked at her, his eyes shaking and his lip trembling.

Clenching her fists, she whispered, "I'm sorry about—"

Izzy shook his head. "She died peacefully in the end."

She could tell by the tone of his voice he only half believed what he was saying. Kari nodded, looking over to the door and then back at him as he turned back to the computer. "I'm going."

Izzy's voice quivered as he spoke. "I'll hold them off as long as it takes, Kari. Stay safe."

Walking across the room as fast as she could, she tried to keep her balance. She missed the days of her youth when it would have been easy to run into this room and leave. A body shaking explosion broke her train of thought and she just about managed to lean onto the door as her eardrums reverberated perpetually in her head.

Opening the door without waiting too long, she walked through and turned back to see a bullet fly into Izzy's chest. He looked over at her as he fell to the ground; the life left his eyes and he whispered something. It was impossible to read his lips in all this commotion, so she closed the door and looked over to the glowing computer screen at the back of the room.

Using the shelves stacked with boxes to support herself, she made her way over. Raising the old cracked pink Digivice in her right hand, she pointed it at the screen and it began to glow. She sniffled, gripping onto the fabric of her long black dress. "I'm sorry, everyone." Holding it steady, she said, "Digiportal o—"

* * *

 _Izzy's underground Lab, Texas, America_

 _21st December 2100_

 _5:50 pm_

That was all Kari ever managed to say before the bullet tore into her brain. Her frail body hit the ground and was cold in minutes. Walking down past her body, a man with brown hair and a handlebar moustache smiled. He knelt down beside her body and plucked the Digivice from her hands. "I think maybe you signed over your position to the wrong person, what about you?" He laughed, remembering the moment he had convinced her to do it. The acting lessons in college had certainly paid off. Standing up, he nodded to the men clad in army uniform grouped around the door. "Take the body and burn it."

As the body was taken away, he walked over to the screen, perplexed as to why the light had dimmed. Holding up the Digivice, he repeated the words mostly everyone knew. "Digiportal open." There wasn't a glimmer of activity. All his hard work to save the expanding population, had it been for naught?

"Sir, come in here," a voice called from the main room.

He sighed and walked back outside to see a news story playing on the big screen at the centre of the room. On it, the female reporter was sat with an empty chair to her left and was talking.

"-Widespread reports of people's Digimon partners being absorbed into the nearest computer. Some people have tried to counter this by hiding their partner, but it appears the Digimon no longer recognise their former companions. At the time of a crisis like this, we look to our reporter in the sky—"

Cursing, he slammed his fist on the dashboard and the screen fizzed. "Did they turn off the connection?"

"I don't know, sir. Perhaps, because she was the last Digidestined—"

Jared cursed loudly. "A thorn in our side until the very end, the damn Digimon lovers will regret this."

* * *

Over the next four hundred or so years, war ravaged Earth and the Digital World. With the Digivices turned off and the connection broken after Kari's death, all humans were ejected back into the human world and vice versa for the Digimon. Two hundred years in and the American-British alliance had allowed them to conquer the rest of the world. However, the corrupt government was slowly tearing their home apart and they began to search for ways to colonize the Digital World again. Some Digimon broke through around the same time as the humans succeeded—still set on domination—and the war began anew.

However, there was a different side to the break through. New Digidestined were born, their bodies now connected directly to the Digital World. When these new saviours slept, they became the Digimon of their dreams. These pseudo Digimon were quickly weaponized by the human forces to fight against the Digimon, whom were winning the war, until one of those new Digidestined deleted their own real partner permanently. This severed the connection again and the war slowly ended as the two worlds were separated once more. The people who had risen up to political power during the original Digidestined's time were thrown out and a new order began. They created the Royal Independent Military (RIM)—a force independent of both countries and set on solving the crime that was quickly growing. However, the Digital World hasn't given up on the connection yet.

* * *

 _Downtown – Sector Two, Sabhailte, England_

 _21st June 2565_

 _3:15 pm_

"Hey, come back here!" Leaping over the trashcan that was launched at him, he held up his Taser gun but it was too late. They had disappeared. He turned and saw his partner pointing at something in the alley behind him. "What is it, Paul?"

He walked back down and looked into the alley to see a small sky blue ball with large eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was feasting on a lump of discarded meat from Evan's Eatery next door. "Is that…?"

His partner seemed sure now, withdrawing his RIM pager. "Yes, that's a Digimon."

Leo Harris shook his head and also withdrew his pager. "I thought-"

"The connection has been re-opened, notify Commander Neehman. I'll radio in some back-up; these things are meant to be dangerous."

Leo typed in a code and sent it to the Commander. Looking up, he saw the creature's big bug-like eyes staring at them. "It's only little…" He crept into the alley slowly. "It's probably harmless."

The creature abruptly bounced into the air and released a stream of bubbles.

Jumping back, Leo yelled, "What on earth?" He saw Paul make the chase as the creature began bouncing away and did the same. If they brought this in, it could mean a big promotion.

* * *

 _RIM Commander Office, A hidden island between America and England_

 _21st June 2565_

 _3:17 pm_

Remus Neehman looked over the reports for the previous day. A reformed United Kingdom was slowly becoming more and more prosperous and crime was finally going down. Perhaps, one day soon, America would follow and then the two superpowers would give up control of some of the countries they ruled. The shiny metal pager on his desk beeped and broke his train of thought.

Curiously, he picked it up. No one ever sent a message to this pager. Remus looked at the code while trying to remember what it meant. "Seven, four, six…" He picked up the code book from the edge of his desk and flicked it open, scanning through the pages. "There." He gasped, dropping the pager and staggering back. "It can't be." The book fell from his shaking hand and clattered onto the floor.

The intercom beeped as he tried to regain composure. "Sir, your four o' clock is here."

Shaking his head, he calmed down a little. "I'm a little busy, Angela."

"Hey, you can't—! He's coming in anyway, sir. He said he has your permission?"

Remus looked at the metal door at the end of his office as it swung open. The room was pretty long, but even from where he was stood he could tell that his four o' clock appointment wasn't quite normal. "May I ask what your business is? I'm a little busy." Usually he only tended to meet with government officials.

The mystery man chuckled as he walked forwards slowly. "Certainly, I'm here to solve that little Digimon problem that just cropped up in Sabhailte."

"How? How did you—?"

The strange man chortled and patted his belly.

As he came closer, he almost didn't look human. He was wearing a pristine white lab coat and brown trousers but his face looked strange. "Trust me, I can help you. Give me a chance and if I'm successful then I'm hired; if not then you fire me. What do you lose?"

The strange intruder slowly stopped at the front of the desk and Remus worked out what was different. The man stood before him wasn't quite a man and he wasn't wearing trousers, or any clothes other than his lab coat. He looked similar to an ape. He had a furry body but dark skinned hairless palms, feet, face and belly. "I'm terribly sorry. The name's Simyan. Professor Simyan."

"What are you?" Remus managed to stammer.

Simyan chortled again as Remus cowered behind his desk, reaching for the panic button. "Oh this?" He lifted his arm and tugged at the hair. "Sadly, it was a science experiment gone a bit wrong. However, I do ask that you judge a book not by its cover." He withdrew a beige file from his lab coat and tossed it onto the desk. "But by its contents."

Remus looked up at the strange ape-man briefly before glancing at the file. Five letters were bolded on the front. R- O- D- A- F. "What is it?" Remus picked up the file and moved back from the desk a little to read it.

"It is a proposal for a subsection of your military forces, which will be solely focussed and trained to combat Digimon. The Retrieval of Digidestined Auxiliary Force." Simyan ran his fingers through the messy brown hair on his head, pushing it back. "It's quite the riveting read, if I do say so myself."

Remus skimmed through it and then put it back on the desk. "Give me one good reason not to press my panic button."

"Other than your security guards are sleeping and your receptionist has gone on her lunch?" Simyan looked up, seemingly pondering the thought. "The code on your pager denotes that a Digimon has broken through, correct?" Simyan waited for an answer but Remus refused to give one. This man—or beast—knew too much already. "You don't have to answer; I read that code book the other day. My memory never falters." Remus felt his face drop and a smirk spread across the ape's face. "Now, I know that Sabhailte is currently in danger and your officers aren't equipped to deal with the threat. I can give some of those officers information that will allow them to prevent the inevitable anarchy."

Remus's interest was piqued. If this ape-man already knew so much, what harm was it to trust him? If he was wrong, it would be easy to kill him and dispose of the body. If not, perhaps this RODAF idea—whatever it was—wasn't such a bad one. "You have one day; I'll fly you out to meet the two best men I have on the street." Remus held up a set of plane keys. "I presume you know how to fly too?"

Simyan smirked. "Unfortunately not, but I have a pilot in mind."

* * *

 _Downtown – Sector Two, Sabhailte, England_

 _21st June 2565_

 _8:20 pm_

Simyan climbed out of the helicopter, looking at the two men stood shaking before him. "I presume you two lost the Digimon?" It was to be expected.

They kept their guns pointed at him. "Who- What are you?"

"Your commander told you, didn't he? I'm Professor Simyan." He gestured to the cockpit as a middle-aged man with red hair clambered out, pointing a rifle at one of them and his handgun at the other. "And this is my associate, Casper Fergusson." Simyan reached and slowly touched the end of their two guns. "We've all got toys." He pushed them down slightly, and winked. "So, we can play cowboys, or we can go catch a Digimon and make Mr Neehman proud. It's up to you which you prefer."

They looked at each other and then all three males slowly lowered their weapons. "Brilliant." Simyan withdrew a black box from his pocket and tapped the screen. "The Digimon is nearby."

One of them moved next to him, trying to grab the box. "What's that?"

Simyan slapped his hand. "We look with our eyes, Paul McGreggor." He smirked as he saw the man's confusion. It was always fun to do this. "I know both of your names, and the rest of your lives too; it was only smart to brush up on you two before I met you."

Simyan pointed straight down the street at the raised roundabout. "There it is."

Leo moved to run but Simyan thumped him in the shoulder, sending him onto the ground. "What the hell?" Leo hissed through the pain. The officer was clearly shocked by Simyan's strength, yet again it was to be expected. Normal scientists didn't usually have much time for the gym.

Simyan walked forwards slowly, pocketing the black box and withdrawing a net. "We do things my way, boys. Success is seized quickest using the best thought out plan of action."

Paul helped his partner up and kept his eyes on Simyan. He seemed cautious but angry, stepping towards Simyan slightly. "You can't just hit a member of the RIM."

Simyan laughed a little but tried to keep quiet. "A member of RODAF can do as they please. They are not bound by this world's laws."

They looked between each other and then Leo stood forwards. "What is RODAF?"

"Something you're welcome to join if you have a good aim with that Taser gun of yours."

Leo looked over the Taser with confusion. "Shouldn't I shoot it with my handgun?"

Simyan shrugged. "If you would prefer to anger the Digimon, causing it to Digivolve, be my guest."

Paul placed his hand on Leo's shoulder and shook his head. "I heard about that Digivolve stuff. It was the reason they had to use pseudo Digimon in the Valiant War."

Leo growled, walking closer to the roundabout. "Fine, I'll shoot it with this." He held up the Taser gun while looking back at them. Leo turned back to the roundabout and gritted his teeth. "This better work."

"If you hit it exactly, it will. However, if you clip the Digimon or miss we'll be in trouble. So, try not to screw it up." Simyan patted him on the shoulder. "No pressure." He moved backwards as Leo aimed.

Paul smiled confidently. "He's the best in RIM; with his shooting skills and my knack for solving crimes we're a great team—"

"I'll cut you off there, Paul." Casper patted him on the shoulder, a cigarette hanging from his lip. "He's young; he's got a long way to go."

With a buzzing of electricity, they all turned to see Leo grinning as he ran towards the roundabout. "Quickly, Casper." Simyan handed him the net and Casper ran over. The older male managed to toss the net over and heave it, and the contents, onto his back before Leo could get a clean shot with his handgun.

"What gives?" Leo asked, gritting his teeth as he pointed his gun at Casper.

"We capture Digimon and return them to their world, Mr Harris." Simyan walked over slowly but paused as the device in his pocket bleeped.

"Put it down, kiddo." Casper tossed his cigarette into the air, flicked a switch on Leo's gun with uncanny agility and then caught the cigarette as the cartridge fell out.

"There's one in the chamber." Leo locked eyes with the older man.

"You need at least two to scare me, kiddo." He laughed, finishing the rest of the cigarette in one long drag before tossing it to the ground, and walked back over to Simyan. The sound of Leo grumbling was mixed with Casper's slow footsteps across the road.

Paul looked over Simyan's shoulder as the ape-man watched the black box. "Another Digimon?"

"Not quite, we need to move." Simyan burst off into a run that rivalled a cheetah, leaving the others in the dust. He paused up ahead and checked the box again. Looking back at the others, he beckoned. "Do not fall behind. The dark is a scary place."

Leo picked up the cartridge and slipped it back into his gun. "Like I'm afraid of the dark."

Paul pointed in the direction everyone was running. "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

Leo saw a white light radiating into sky. It was a thin beam already, shrinking all the while. "No, but I _am_ afraid of that."

* * *

 _Central – Sector One, Sabhailte, England_

 _21st June 2565_

 _8:37 pm_

Simyan stopped as he reached the house where the slender light was emanating from. "A new Digidestined already…" He looked to the left to see a large black bird with golden tipped feathers circling in the sky. "And their Reprieve takes the form of Lithemon, interesting." He bounded into the air and gripped onto the windowsill from one of the second floor bedrooms. Swinging himself up, he withdrew a blob of white gum and slipped it into the window's lock. He waited a few seconds before he twisted it and pulled the window open.

He glanced down at the bed to see a girl with long brown hair and a serene expression. Scrutinizing the toy filled bedroom, he eventually spotted a notebook with a name embossed on the front. "Faye?" he whispered as he touched her arm gently. It would be a shock waking up to Simyan for anyone but he needed to get her out of here quickly. "Faye." He pushed harder and she groaned, waking up slowly.

"He wants to marry me, mum, I need more time." She opened her big brown eyes but immediately leapt up and backed into the corner.

Peering out the window, Simyan saw the oversized Lithemon had vanished. It was definitely this girl. He looked back over at her as she calmed down, moving closer curiously. "Faye, you need to go to sleep again. This is just a dream." Simyan leapt back out of the window and closed it behind himself. He bounded onto the roof, spotting his comrades arrival. Waving to them, he withdrew a walkie-talkie. "Casper, you all need to watch the sky. If a big black bird appears then we definitely have the right girl."

He waited for Faye to finally settle down, listening closely in the darkness as her breathing became shallow. His keen hearing could just barely make out her breath now; she had to be asleep or at least pretending. "Keep an eye out," Simyan whispered as he slipped back down and through the window. Inside, she appeared to be asleep and Lithemon had definitely vanished when he woke her. He spoke softly into the radio. "Anything?"

The reply crackled in his ear. "Nothing, I think something's wrong."

Simyan pondered it for a moment. "Perhaps the connection never recovered. With such a damaged connection only a single Reprieve is possible." He checked his phone and selected the calendar. "June the twenty first. It appears that the solstice is still the time when this connection develops easiest." Picking her up gently, he leapt back out of the window, landing softly on the ground.

Leo pointed his gun. "Who's the girl? You can't kidnap civilians."

Simyan sighed. He wasn't entirely sure this 'act first, think second' guy was cut out for RODAF. "She is a chosen one. In time, she will receive a Digital partner."

Paul stammered, "B- but-"

"I thought it too, Mister McGreggor. However, it seems the Digital World has established one last connection with the human population. In the interest of keeping that connection alive, I plan to look after this girl and raise her at our new base."

Leo looked to Paul and then back at Simyan. "Base?"

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Ours?"

Simyan smirked as he saw their increased interest. "Casper will be flying us there now. He financed the construction until the RIM was ready to take over. An island in the sky – Home Base."

* * *

 _Home Base, Somewhere between the UK and America_

 _29th May 2575_

 _8:30 am_

Simyan looked over the new head of RODAF. Unfortunately, RIM had decided that Simyan's duties should be solely focussed on combatting Digimon and the administration and day to day running should be done by someone else. The man chosen for the job, Charles Kayran, was an obviously dangerous man. It was baffling that he had ever been hired but Simyan resolved that he would keep an eye on him. Kayran's short blond hair flapped about in the breeze as he spoke to a grey-haired Remus Neehman.

Simyan walked over slowly and listened to the conversation while approaching.

"-So, it is with great pleasure that I bestow upon you this position."

Kayran smirked, glancing briefly at Simyan. "The pleasure's mine."

"Remus, it's been a while." Simyan held out a hand as he stopped.

Remus laughed and shook it. "I'm sorry I'm adding someone new to your family, but times change, Simyan."

"It's no matter, I'm sure we'll get on." Simyan looked at the cold, army-instilled look in Kayran's eyes and knew that was a lie. "Leave him with me; I'll show him his office."

Kayran smiled a toothy grin. It was as false as the rest of him. "An office? For me? You shouldn't have." He chuckled. It sounded like someone being held at gunpoint and forced to laugh.

Simyan nodded to Remus as the RIM commander walked over to his helicopter on the nearby helipad.

Waiting until he was out of earshot before looking back at Kayran, Simyan breathed deeply. He had to play this carefully; Kayran was a risky man. "The office complex is this way." Simyan walked towards the nearest building. Turning on the voice recorder in his pocket, he whispered, "Note to self: do not allow Kayran's actions to fall under the radar."

* * *

 _Lower Office Block, Home Base_

 _1st January 2579_

 _11:49 pm_

Kayran looked up at the large screen, smirking. "And the spores will be capable of inciting insanity, and eventually death, in a Digimon?"

The scientist on his right nodded sheepishly, their glasses almost falling off their long nose. "Y— Yes, s— s— sir."

"Excellent and you know if you tell Simyan what will happen to you?"

The gulp was so loud it made Kayran smile with pleasure. "I die?"

"Indeed." He patted the scientist on the head and turned around to face one of the new recruits to RODAF.

It was the bright young spark, Bella DeLouge. Her curvaceous body, long blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes were her greatest disguise. He had hired especially for her cunning, vicious killing record. She didn't have a Digimon partner, but that played to his favour. "Bella, I need you all to begin squashing the resistance against us. If you cannot handle it alone you may take the others. I want it gone ASAP or you're gone, capisce?"

"Certainly, Lord Kayran." She withdrew one of her two signature katanas, licking the cold blade. She holstered it quickly and then pursed her lips. "Still sharp. Where do you want me?"

* * *

 _"Downtown Sabhailte, Sector three."_

 _Debriefing Room, Home Base_

 _12th March 2593_

 _7:32 pm_

"Four years with us already, eh, King?" Casper asked. The grey moustache of his mentor wiggled about as he smiled proudly.

"So, me and Moonmon can come with you guys today?" King asked, looking up at the older man and grinning.

"Ask Leo, I'm not in charge today." Casper patted his belly and leaned in close, his usual cigarette breath mixed with strong alcohol. "I've had a few too many to drink." He winked and then started laughing.

King looked to the middle-aged man with shaggy blond hair. Leo half-smiled, shining his gun, and pointed to Faye. "Sorry, kiddo."

King looked hopefully to Faye; if it wasn't her then he might as well give up. "Well?"  
The big eyed brunette looked down slightly. Despite the fact King was only twelve, he was nearly her height. "If you feel up to it, me and Uliosmon are happy to have you along."

The small white cloud next to her with half-open eyes narrowed them further. "Faye, be careful." His tone was light but chiding. Faye did have a habit of being too trusting.

"It's fine, Uliosmon. Isn't it, King?" She laughed and ruffled King's short black locks.

King nodded eagerly as Paul placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

* * *

 _Downtown – Sector Three (Abandoned Warehouse), Sabhailte, England_

 _25th December 2595_

 _1:30 am_

Faye's death that day continued to haunt King for the rest of his life and the next few were probably some of the worst. Bella DeLouge died shortly afterwards in a fire, leaving an all-male team behind. Paul took the next hit; he sacrificed himself after Parricidium caught them in a trap. King hadn't known Paul as well as some of the others, but watching Leo become a shadow of himself was enough of a tribute to the brave fallen RODAF agent. Uliosmon slowly became insane and ended up storming the base of one of the key members of the resistance against RODAF. They never saw the—usually cautious—Digimon again.

Perhaps, though, Leo's death was the most painful King had felt. Maybe it was because he was the latest on a heap of pain, or maybe because Leo saved him. King wasn't sure exactly what made him feel the way he did, but when he watched Leo stand and fight against a small army he felt a mix of emotions. There was the pride in one of his mentors, the shame he felt for leaving when he was told, and the sadness and anger that lingered afterwards.

"King, are you okay?" Casper asked quietly as they sat watching the meeting of the resistance group Future Fighters from the rafters.

King shook his head, regaining his focus. "I'm fine; Moonmon?"

His partner, the little blue cat nodded. "I'm good as long as I'm with you, King."

"I miss them too, son, but we are getting some new recruits soon. I feel it in my bones." He patted King lightly on the back. "We got that new pilot last year, remember?"

King laughed quietly. "Thanks, Casper. I promise neither of us will die."

Casper smiled lightly. "Focus on the mission first." He pointed below but the meeting had paused.

Casper withdrew the rifle from his back but paused as he heard footsteps. He turned to the right and saw a soldier and then to the left to see another. "King—"

"We've got intruders!" one announced.

"Casper, do we fight?" King looked about, readying his fists.

"King…" Casper clenched his teeth. "Leave now. You're just a kid and you'll only hold me back."

"But… there's too many. I can't leave you!" King protested, stamping his feet.

"Stop right there!" The soldiers on the rafters had increased twofold.

Casper bent King over and placed a handgun on his back. Pulling the trigger twice he took out the two on the right and used his rifle to take out one of the two on the left. The other was still alive, and appeared to have a Digimon. It looked like a small green dog, possibly crossed with something more angular.

Withdrawing an electric net, he tossed it at them but watched with amazement as the Digimon burst straight through, energy surrounding it as it landed gently in front of him and then pounced for his face. Casper struck it with the butt of his gun, following up with a digitally charged shot from his handgun to finish it off. Spinning his rifle around once, he aimed and fired to mop up the human counterpart of Relecmon.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked at King with fury in his eyes. "King, leave now. I've left RODAF from this moment on so you're associating with an enemy by being here."

"B— but." King felt himself become teary. This was awful, how on earth could Casper expect him to leave? "You're my mentor, my friend—"

"RODAF agents don't have friends." He closed his eyes and grabbed King by the scruff of his neck. "Now get out of my life!" Grunting, he launched King through the skylight above them.

King felt heartbroken as he crashed through the glass and landed on the roof outside. Clambering up while being careful not to let the broken glass touch his skin, he moved for the—now open—skylight but suddenly Moonmon flew through, flying over his head. She was hurt. "Did Casper…?" he whispered, his voice cracking as he picked up his semi-conscious partner. Looking at the helicopter and listening to the commotion, he bit his tongue to force a decision while tears trickled down his cheeks. "Dammit!"

He ran to the helicopter, climbing in and slamming the door. "Go!"

* * *

 _Downtown – Sector Three (Abandoned Warehouse), Sabhailte, England_

 _25th December 2595_

 _1:39 am_

"That was a harsh way to get rid of your grandson, old man." The voice was clearly laced with malice.

Casper looked over and shook his head, withdrawing a cigarette and placing it into his lips. "You wouldn't understand." He flicked his lighter near the cigarette end, lighting it and taking a long drag.

The man, in a black cloak, which covered most of his body, was barely visible beneath the black top hat and sunglasses. He pushed out his bottom lip, cocking his head to the side and then pulled the trigger of the revolver in his left hand. "Understand this."

Casper expected a rush of pain, he had been shot before so he knew what to expect but instead he saw data pixels in the corner of his eye.

Spotting Moonmon in pain, he tossed the Digimon through the skylight and then moved back away from the man. Moonmon wouldn't have survived another shot from that gun at this close range. "You're the head of Future Fighters?"

"I am; it's a shame the head of RODAF hasn't come to meet me but you _were_ one of the founding members. It seems apt that an organisation as powerful as mine can take out the last founding member." He opened the revolver, placing a single bullet inside. "I won't miss."

Casper laughed. "You need more than one to scare me."

The man smirked. "We'll see. They're all proud until the barrel of a gun is all they can see."

Casper pulled the cigarette away from his lips, exhaling. "The pain we both cause to innocent people is very different; I do it to see the look of joy in a child's eyes when they are able to live safely with a Digimon. What about you?"

"I cause pain to stop the bad guys, the same as any superhero." He flipped the revolver around until it cocked and then pointed it.

Casper smirked. "When you're older, you'll understand. There are more important things in life than right or wrong." Casper closed his eyes and dropped the cigarette.

"Die."

The bullet pierced his brain and cut off everything in that moment. There was no tunnel of light, only the sleep he had been yearning for.

* * *

 _Home Base_

 _24th March 2599_

 _8:37 am_

She looked up, her eyes wide with amazement. Of course, she was still sceptical of the offer but this was a pretty amazing home. Ahead, she saw a tall black man sat against one of the trees. Walking over curiously, she kept her wits about her. "Do I need to do anything now I'm here?"

He looked up, the shade covering half of his face. "First day?"

"And?" She tensed up.

He stood up, wrapping his arms around her. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

 **I don't own Digimon. The logo and OCs are mine.**

 **A bit of a jumpy first chapter but it is the prologue. If you stuck with it all the way through, please let me know what you thought.**


	2. Chapter One: A Rude Introduction

A thick layer of white, powdery snow laced the picturesque cul-de-sac. In each of the houses children excitedly awaited midnight; that was when Christmas truly began. Snow fell outside in every direction like people during rush hour. Trees were bare and painted a beautiful white. Every single house was covered with mesmerising snowfall.

For one house, however, there was more action that night than expected.

The house itself was nothing remarkable. The living room had an extravagantly dressed Christmas tree and under the pine branches sat numerous coloured parcels. Most of them were there purely for decoration so that the family had a 'traditional Christmas'.

The pitter-patter of little feet littered the wooden staircase as the children eagerly awaited Christmas Day. The hallway was unlit, and they sat in darkness, hoping their parents wouldn't realise they were creeping down earlier than they were supposed to. Unfortunately, the dark purple rug running the length of the staircase muffled their steps but didn't silence them. "Go to bed!" their father shouted angrily, even as his wife snuggled into his chest. The fireplace crackled and spat calmly as the two cuddled.

Eventually, after an hour, all but one of the children had gone to bed. Taran alone remained on the staircase, keenly waiting for the moment when his parents would fall asleep like they did every year before they went to bed. It didn't take long until they finally fell asleep, but by then the fire had become smouldering embers. The whole house began to get colder. He shivered, wearing only his thin green pyjamas, but now he knew he could sneak a quick peek at his presents before his parents woke up and went to bed. He crept down the stairs, careful to tread only on the rug, and held his breath when he stepped off the stairs and slipped into the living room.

The glass panes in the doors shuddered loudly as he closed them, and he clenched his eyes shut, waiting to be shouted at by his father. Luckily, it hadn't woken them. He opened his eyes and glanced upon the lavishly wrapped presents, some of which had sparkly wrapping paper. Others had big ribbons which pushed against the branches of the tree. A large grin began to spread across his youthful face as he stared at them in pure astonishment. He had turned eight this year and his parents had bought him more presents than ever before. Breathing in deeply, he held the single breath while creeping forwards on nothing but the tips of his toes. He didn't dare glance at his parents for fear that just him looking at them would wake them up from their slumbers. Bending down slowly, he plucked the first present he spotted from the pile. It was a small crimson box with a golden ribbon and a small white tag, which hung limply off it. Lifting the tag slowly, he turned it over and read it aloud slowly and quietly, "To Taran, I just know that this will help." He paused and then grinned. Getting onto his feet, he glanced at his parents and then held the present close to his chest, spinning around in a silly little dance of glee.

Calming down, he tiptoed across the carpet and towards the doors but as he touched the handle he felt it, and the ground, begin to shudder. He turned around, curious as to what was happening. A loud crash erupted in his ears, causing them to ring, as smoke blinded his other senses. He coughed heavily, trying to waft away the smoke and work out what was going on and as the dust began to clear he could just make out that his living room was now missing a wall. Taran ran away and covered his eyes. Whatever had caused the wall to collapse was in the middle of his living room. Warily, he opened his eyes and saw the large chunk of green rubble moving slightly. As he looked closely, he started to make out what it was. It had long rabbit ears and a cute rabbit face but the rest of it was far from cute. Its ears were as big as Taran himself, and its head was as big as the coffee table, not to mention that its arms and legs were bigger than his parents. Taran surmised that, whatever it was, it looked like a hyped-up rabbit ready for Armageddon.

But more surprising was that someone was _standing_ on the monster. It was a girl, maybe fourteen years old, and she had a fierce look of determination despite the fact she had just smashed through a wall. Her shoulder length hair was a bright colour of green but apart from that she seemed to be wearing normal teenager's clothes: a t-shirt and jeans. The girl spun to face the young boy. "Welcome to the team, Taran." She grinned in a friendly way to him as the rabbit warrior beneath her moved. It got to its feet without causing any more damage to the house and Taran noticed it had a large silver pole attached to its back, presumably as a weapon. The large animal grabbed the pole from its holster and held it out horizontally in front of itself. A huge black knight burst from the foreboding darkness and snowstorm outside—which was dying down—and smacked the rabbit warrior backwards and further into the living room. Taran quivered in fear when he saw the knight, stepping slowly backwards and away until he fell onto his bum.

"Hey, you! I'm not gonna let you harm this dude!" A pubescent male voice roared from somewhere nearby. Taran was quickly becoming confused as to why his house was the centre of what seemed to be an interplanetary dispute.

The girl turned her head quickly and looked to the left of the gaping hole in the house. She groaned exasperatedly as she made sense of the voice. "Leon? What you doing here? Professor hasn't given you a Mega Spark," she shouted. The two large creatures clashed again with the rabbit using his metal pole to block the knight's blade. Taran figured that whoever the other person was would also have a big machine that would smash the house even more so he backed further away and hid near the sofa with his parents, who were somehow still asleep.

A sharp reply was heard from the boy. "Like I need that to take care of this dude. Do you know who I am?"

The voice sounded confident but Taran wondered how anything could deal with something that made him feel so scared. The fear was multiplied when the rabbit was knocked to the floor again and the knight raised his blade menacingly.

Annoyed, the girl turned away from the boy and sighed. "ArmonTalmon, go!"

The beast flew to its feet and charged at the other creature, smacking it with the large pole that was in its hand. The pole hit the black knight in the head and sent the colossal creature elsewhere into the darkness.

Before the big robot could do anything else a young boy ran past with a luminous orb floating next to him. "Oobmon—when you're ready, buddy," he shouted. The orb hovered for a while, seemingly hesitant and then flew off into the darkness.

The boy's clothes were difficult to make out but it was clear that he wore a blue hat which allowed a small tuft of blonde hair to poke out of the front, and what looked like blue and white skiing gear. He also seemed to be carrying a blue snowboard under his right arm—despite the fact there was nowhere to snowboard in the area. He looked a little younger than the girl and Taran couldn't work out why these two teenagers were fighting monsters that were bigger than his house was.

"So, was the Himalayas fun?" the girl asked, almost in a teasing manner.

"Shut up, Aleena," he called back bluntly with an outward puff of air, followed by more puffs, as he tried to regain his breath.

She jumped off the robot's shoulder as glistening orbs flew outwards from it and it began to shrink. By now, Taran was more than terrified and tried to run back upstairs but the scary girl shot him a sharp glare so he felt he had to stay. He could hear his brothers and sisters panicking upstairs and was waiting for his parents to wake up and save them all. He wanted to wake them but moving could get him killed. The orbs stopped emitting from the shrinking rabbit to reveal that its ears were now only as long as his arms and it had a small patch of pale brown on its stomach but was otherwise covered in cream fur. It almost looked like a hare.

"Gosh dammit, I'm just me again. I was enjoying that!" Its voice was cute in a way that befitted its new appearance.

"This is a mission, not a fairground, Tal." Aleena replied quickly.

She was calling it something different now and Taran couldn't work out why. Maybe they had teleported this creature down to play with him.

"Yeah, yeah. So what are we going to do with Oobmon?" He indicated the current location of the fallen Digimon by pointing with his paw.

"Your partner got totalled, Leon." This Aleena girl could be a real meanie.

"Wait, what?" Leon's face dropped.

The boy from earlier began to look around. "Oobmon," he shouted desperately. He seemed to spot something and charged off into the darkness.

The girl watched him go and then turned to look at Taran. "Kid, it's time to go."

Taran stared back at her blankly in fear before he found himself beginning to walk towards her tentatively. He was afraid to go near her but he was also terrified to disobey.

"Oh, and bring that with you," she added with a nod to the small parcel in Taran's arms.

Taran hadn't even realised he was still holding it so he nodded slowly and walked further towards her. Suddenly, he heard movement from his parents and turned to see that they had finally awoken to see all of the commotion that had gone on and the aftermath that had destroyed their house.

"N- No... We don't want him to go!" his mother exclaimed fearfully, bursting to her feet as she realised what was occurring. His dad moved next to Taran and grabbed his hand and forcefully took him back next to his mother, who was barely able to stand due to how much she was shaking.

Calmly, Aleena explained herself. "We have to take him. Sorry, but it's not safe for him here." She reached into her pocket and withdrew a white powder. It had the consistency of flour and sparkled slightly. "Goodbye." Taran's parents shook their heads in disbelief. Aleena smiled sweetly and blew the white powder at his family. It floated through the air like a thick mist, and as soon as it reached the family, they fell onto the floor with a thump.

* * *

 **At this point, I'd like to thank Py687 and Aveza for beta-reading the first few chapters of this and everyone else who also helped out. This wouldn't exist without you guys, so thanks.**

 **Bit of a short first chapter, I know.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	3. Chapter Two: The Team

The sound of the gunshots as she pulled the trigger pierced the air like broken glass.

"Aleena?" a voice called from behind.

Aleena lowered her gun, opening her other eye. She turned around. "Yeah?"

"You've been called for a mission."

Aleena sighed, flicking the safety onto the handgun. "I never get to relax around here," she grumbled, walking past the young red-haired female in a black pantsuit. She placed her gun into the woman's hands and walked over to the door.

Glancing over at the cardboard targets, the newbie Base Agent called after her, "Do you always aim for the middle of the forehead or is it just luck?"  
"I aim. It's my favourite spot." Aleena pulled the door open and walked out.

Walking out of the underground training area, Aleena looked around outside; it was dusk already and everyone was walking into the rest complex to her left. She sighed and walked towards the debriefing room. That's where he'd be waiting.

~.~.~

When she walked in, she saw a familiar face that made her feel contempt. "Aleena!" it exclaimed loudly and cheerfully.

"Rori," she replied with a tone of derision. "You know where Tal is?"

"Tal's getting your Taser gun back from Professor Simyan," she replied in a sprightly manner, skipping over with her red curls bouncing up and down as she moved.

"I guess I'll go find him, then." Aleena sighed, turning to leave.

"I'll come too!" she chirped.

Aleena groaned. "Do whatever you want."

"Okay, I'm coming!"

Aleena slammed the door behind her to show her disagreement with the situation but she knew it wouldn't stop the red haired girl from following her.

Quickly, Aleena walked across the floating metal island. She was heading towards the grassy area in the middle, which had various trees and flowers growing. It was a sharp contrast to the metal and mortar that the rest of Home Base was made of. She heard Rori's footsteps behind her and turned around to see the girl with her partner—a Digimon that looked a lot like a chubby grass fairy.

"You gonna follow me inside?" She groaned again.

"Yeah," Rori replied happily, running to catch up. "We leave for our mission at the same time and I need stuff, too."

"Please say you're not taking the same ride," Aleena grumbled as the redhead stopped and began to walk next to her.

"I don't think so. It's a different place." Rori placed her finger to her lips, looking up at the sky. "But I could ask if we could." Her lime green eyes lit up like fireworks as she imagined her idea coming to fruition.

"Please don't."

Aleena walked out into the middle of the verdant area and knelt down in the various flora. Placing her hand on the ground and twisting it, she looked down directly at where her hand was. "Operative Aleena."

"It's so pretty here," Rori said, her voice almost detached from her body as she spun around with her eyes wide.

Aleena sighed, hearing Rori's ramblings behind her, as a small light came out of the ground and scanned her eyes. There was a pause and a click after the light vanished.

" _Unlocked."_

She waited for the handle to appear and pulled it to lift the hatch. A dark tunnel loomed below with no means to get down. "Don't follow me," Aleena said, her tone both tired and dismissive.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Rori waved, bouncing up and down as Aleena dropped into the hole and began to slide downwards.

The entrance quickly turned nearly horizontal as she continued to slip downwards until a light appeared at the end and she flew out and onto a black mat. A distinct smell of crisps and chocolate filled the squalid air. It was nauseating. She stretched her muscles, standing up and walking out of the room that only consisted of the black mattress and a small area of stone ground. After she passed through the dark hallway, she was in the laboratory. "Simyan, where's Talmon?"

"We are in the main laboratory; reconfiguring your gun," a familiar voice called back. He chose his words carefully, articulating every syllable. His vocabulary led Aleena to think he was probably like a grandfather would be, if she had ever had one.

"Coming!" She walked out into the room.

It was a very strange room to be in. There was a blue glow all over from the large holographic computer screen that covered the entire eastern wall. The ceiling was also a lot higher than the previous room and almost reached the ground above. Her footsteps echoed as she walked down the stone steps to where her partner and Professor Simyan waited. She looked over to the right of the stairs and saw the long table covered in papers and empty packets of crisps and pizza boxes.

"Aleena," Professor Simyan called, his voice ravaged by time and rasping slightly. He turned around in his white cloak to look at her. His ape/human hybrid appearance was a strange one but it had become something she was accustomed to. Her partner was on the other side of the table, picking up her gun with his paws and carrying her utility belt with one of his ears.

"Good to see you again, Simyan." She sniffed the air as she walked over. "You need to clean up in here." The smell was particularly strong as she got closer to him.

"My salary is far too high to worry about such trivialities," Simyan said, laughing and rubbing his hairy stomach. "Now, I have perfected the Mega Spark for your mission. It should allow you to reach and maintain a level of power pertaining to the most evolved Digital form for a short period." He produced a small yellow tablet with a blue band across the middle and held it towards her. She wasn't sure what it was but she figured it worked a lot like an Ultimate Spark but better.

"Hey, what's that?" Rori yelled excitedly, running down the stairs.

Aleena sighed and grabbed the tablet. "Thanks." She pocketed the tablet and attached the Taser gun to her utility belt.

"Hello, Rori!" Professor Simyan reached into his pocket. "I have completed the creation of your Transporter Orbs." He produced a handful of small yellow balls. "They are optimized to work well in the next few weeks."

"Thanks, Simmy," she said, her eyes sparkling as she rushed over with her partner in tow.

"I also have a Champion Spark for Orchidemon." His eyes seemed a little weary. Aleena scanned his appearance, his white lab coat was looking unusually unkempt as he produced the plain yellow tablet for Rori.

"Cool," Rori exclaimed, admiring the tablet with her eyes before plucking it from the hairy hands of the Professor.

"Mission Screen, summon," Simyan announced, waving his hand. One of the screens on the left wall detached and flew over in front of him, connected to its origin by nothing but a wire. "Aleena, this is your target." Simyan produced an image of a house in a snowy area. The screen zoomed in through a window and then refocused to produce an image of a young brunet. "Retrieve him _alive_."

"Easy enough." Aleena cocked her gun and looked down the sight.

"Rori, you have to go return a few Digimon in Steam city to the Digital World." The screen changed to an image of a coal-powered town with numerous mines and factories. "They are all unidentified, so it is up to you to be careful and attract minimal attention whatever the opponent."

"Got it," Rori said with a wink that denoted her playful approach to missions.

"We're off." Aleena waved as she left the room.

"Wait up!" Rori called, chasing after her.

"Be careful!" Simyan opened a packet of crisps and plucked one out. "You never know what you will see," he muttered pensively as he chewed on the crisp and brushed the screen away.

~.~.~

Aleena walked out onto the grass and looked down at her partner. "I think there is more to this mission than we've been told, Tal." She looked at the Mega Spark, turning it around in her fingers.

"Indeed."

Placing the tablet into her utility built, she focussed herself. "We're taking an EDAM down." She walked over to the edge of Home Base.

"You're in a rush?" Tal watched as she produced a small black capsule from her belt and tossed it onto the ground in front of them.

Aleena turned back, smirking. "The EDAM only has room for two."

Rori's shrill voice resounded from behind them. "Aren't you taking the helicopters?"

"EDAM, reveal." Aleena watched as the tablet grew in size to reveal that it was a little like a submarine with a rocket engine attached to the back. She placed her hand on the translucent glass and it opened to reveal the two leather seats directly behind each other inside. Talmon got in first, at the back, and then Aleena climbed into the driver's seat.

"I'll take one too!" Rori rushed over.

"No." Aleena sighed as she pulled the glass closed and pressed the accelerate button on her dashboard.

The vehicle shuddered for a second and then flew forwards, rocketing off the edge of Home Base and turning diagonal. "Start up the map and give me directions," Aleena ordered as they flew down through the clouds.

"It's loading..." Talmon pulled up a holographic map on the back of her seat. "You're on course to hit the town of Acquina."

"That's where we have to go?"

"Affirmative."

"You aimed us at the port?"

"Adjusting course now," Talmon produced a set of instructions on her dashboard for her to hit the water instead of the ground.

Aleena quickly adjusted their path with the joystick between her legs. "How long until impact?"  
"Twenty seconds. There's a UDD below. Level seems to be Mega and he's in our objective vicinity."

"I knew he gave us that Spark for a reason," Aleena grumbled, grimacing as the water came into view. "Power empty, free falling."

"Three, two, one," Talmon muttered as they plunged into the dark water of the port and sent waves outwards.

The vehicle sank for a while but eventually floated to the surface and began to bob up and down, releasing small ripples. "That was fun!" Talmon chirped. His ability to become easily excited was the only thing she'd change about him. She looked over her shoulder as the EDAM stopped bobbing and Talmon nodded. "The area's clear, mission start." He turned off his map and flicked the red switch behind his head.

"The target?" Aleena pushed the door open, tying her hair up with a black bobble using her other hand.

"Not far. A minute or two if we run," Talmon replied as he stood on the lip of the vehicle with her. "Seven Dragon Magic." He moved his paw in front of him and a green circle appeared with runes forming inside of it. He clenched his paw and then seven wisps of coloured smoke flew out from the magic glyph. They swirled around each other to create a bridge to the pier and Aleena burst into a run across it.

"I'll be ahead, catch up when you can!" She leapt off the end and continued sprinting up the hill that curved away from the pier.

"Got it," Talmon called after her as he pulled himself over with the smoke and started running. Behind him, the EDAM exploded, sending waves crashing against the shore, leaving no trace of itself.

Aleena withdrew her Taser gun and flicked the safety off as she ran, looking around for the unidentified dangerous Digimon. She could hear Tal behind her but his short legs meant it was unlikely he would catch up to her. She looked left to right as she came around the corner of a shop and her eyes locked onto her opponent. It was definitely mega level and was looking around the area up ahead, presumably trying to find their target who was in one of these houses. The issue was they all looked the same, and yet that was also her saving grace. She grinned, skidding to a halt; it gave her time to act.

The Digimon itself was extremely big. It was easily the size of the houses that surrounded her, bigger in fact, and looked like a knight in black armour. She aimed with her Taser gun and pulled the trigger, striking it in the face and causing its data to fizzle slightly.

"A human?" the masculine voice muttered, looking down at her with indifference. Quick, quicker than she could register, he tugged the cord that attached the electrode to her gun.

Flying through the air, Aleena was unable to detach the cord, as he began to swing her around like a toy. She grimaced as the wind pressed against her face. Too fast. She was moving too fast to have much control over her body and it was going to hurt a lot when he finally let go. Biting her lip to draw blood, she focussed her thoughts and broke herself from defeatist beliefs. Aiming the gun towards her opponent, she steadied her arms and then tore the cord off. She became weightless, floating through the air like a leaf, until she pulled the trigger again. As it touched his body she flicked the reel switch in unison, dragging herself towards him while the shock coursed through his data.

He roared in fury, lifting his arm to strike her.

Pulling the cord free from the end of her Taser gun, Aleena spun around his arm as it flew at her and leapt off as he tried to shake her free. Landing on his shoulder, she planted a small silver semi-circle—a Data Destruction Bomb—and leapt back off.

"Ready, Tal?" she called as she flew downwards.

He waved his arm and a smoky red dragon flew out from a green glyph he formed to quickly catch her and lower her down. He smirked, clearly getting excited. "Ready!"

"Catch!" She threw the Mega Spark to him and he swallowed it swiftly as their opponent turned to face them. "Boom." Aleena smirked triumphantly, covering her face with her arm, as the device on the Digimon's shoulder beeped and then exploded, knocking him backwards as Talmon's data erupted.

A sphere of light formed around him but quickly both his arms burst out. One was holding a long metal pole and the other was clenched tightly into a fist. His legs came next and then the rest of him wasn't far behind. His armour, dark green and shiny with yellow geometric patterns, was unscathed and his face was matured with longer ears and shaggier fur. "Holy Strike!" Thrusting with his pole, which became blanketed in white light, he pushed the black knight—who was still staggering—backwards. ArmonTalmon spun his pole as its light faded and grinned. "Super bunny in the house!"

"The only house we care about, _Super Bunny,_ is the one our target is in." Aleena said, rolling her eyes as ArmonTalmon holstered his pole and picked her up, placing her onto his shoulder.

"I think it's this one." He motioned to a house. As he did, their opponent flew towards them and brought his blade down, causing ArmonTalmon to stumble backwards.

ArmonTalmon rolled to the side as Aleena leapt off his shoulder and fired a shot from her Taser Gun at Alphamon. As ArmonTalmon got back to his feet, Aleena landed in his outstretched hand and then he thrust his pole forwards. "Holy Strike!" The bright white lance knocked the Digimon backwards slightly as he was still paralyzed but his demeanour seemed to shift in that moment. "This Alphamon sure seems like he wants to kill me." ArmonTalmon laughed. "I'm getting so into this fight!"

"Tal, get a move on!" Aleena snapped.

"Got it!" ArmonTalmon leapt towards the house he had pointed at, landing in front of it. "So, do you wanna go inside or…?"

Thudding. Alphamon was up!

ArmonTalmon spun, holding out his pole to try and block the attack but it was too late. Alphamon unleashed a blast of energy from his palm, blowing them back.

ArmonTalmon crashed into the house he had been pointing at and Aleena turned as she noticed a presence that was unfamiliar. It was their target. He looked useless, weak and pathetic. It could only mean his partner was incredibly powerful. "Welcome to the team, Taran!" She smiled to try and calm the boy down and prevent him from running.

ArmonTalmon got to his feet slowly and withdrew his pole, holding it to block the attack from their opponent. The defence wasn't strong enough and they were knocked further into—what was presumably—the boy's living room.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, you! I'm not gonna let you harm this dude!"

It was Leon. The childish, arrogant, useless boy wonder himself. Everything from his unprofessional attitude to his unkempt appearance infuriated her; but nothing annoyed her more than his inability to be modest.

She turned to look at him and sighed. "Leon, what you doing here? Professor hasn't given you a Mega Spark!" Suddenly, the black knight brought his blade down again but this time ArmonTalmon put all his strength into deflecting the attack, just barely managing to hold back the colossal knight Digimon.

"Like I need that to take care of this dude! Do you know who I am?" Leon shouted, coming into view with his confident grin. The black knight charged again, knocking them to the floor and raising his blade to finish the job.

Aleena sighed. This was exhausting. It felt like she was babysitting an entire nursery. "ArmonTalmon, go!"

Her partner obeyed, charging to his feet and smacking the black knight back into the street. Leon and his partner ran past shortly after. "Oobmon—when you're ready, buddy!"

Oobmon looked at Leon nervously, which made Aleena smirk. He wasn't a fighting Digimon, he was too nervous to be on the same level as her and Talmon.

Eventually, Oobmon flew off towards the black knight and Aleena saw Leon was in his ski gear. "So, was the Himalayas fun?" she teased, his mission had involved defending a dignitary in occupied Tibet. The rebel movement there was particularly strong due to the numerous Digital Portals open in Asia. This prompt return could only mean it had been boring and hadn't provided him any chances to show off.

"Shut up, Aleena," he spat back as he doubled over, trying to regain his breath.

She grinned and leapt off ArmonTalmon's shoulder. His time was up. He began to shrink back down into her partner but as he did, she could hear the distant sounds of children crying and realised that this boy had siblings. She turned to look at the boy as he tried to run and narrowed her eyes.

"Gosh dammit, I'm just me again. I was enjoying that!" Talmon folded his arms over his chest.

"This is a mission, not a fairground, Tal."

Tal sighed. "Yeah, yeah. So what are we going to do with Oobmon?" He gestured over his shoulder to where Oobmon had chased after Alphamon.

Aleena snorted with laughter. "Your partner got totalled, Leon."

"Wait, what?" Leon exclaimed. What did he expect? A Rookie level against a powerful Mega. No chance.

She looked over at Leon and saw his face was the picture of desperation.

"Oobmon!" He spotted his partner glowing dimly in the street and ran over to him as the helicopter landed nearby.

She turned to look at Taran, remembering that they had to bring him back alive. "Kid, it's time to go," she called nonchalantly.

She was met with an expressionless face for a while before he eventually began to obey her.

"Oh, and bring that with you." She nodded to the present that was in his arms. Thus far, she hadn't seen a Digimon, which meant that he had it in a Digiegg within that present. Although there was another present with the same wrapping under the tree that also drew her attention. He nodded slowly and started walking towards her but then his parents awoke.

Aleena groaned, rolling her eyes. This was turning into more trouble than it was worth. "I hate adults," she grumbled under her breath.

"N- No… We don't want him to go!" his mother begged like a pathetic homeless cat. The two parents retrieved their son and stood strong together.

Aleena kept calm. After all, they'd been brave enough to say no to a member of RODAF. "We have to take him. Sorry, but it's not safe for him here." Keeping to her most professional tone, she withdrew the bag of REM powder from her pocket, grabbing a handful, and then attached the rest to her utility belt. "Goodbye," she whispered, blowing the dust from her hand and watching as it hit the family and caused them to pass out.

"Grab that other present and get someone to close up the wall." Aleena clambered through the rubble and picked up Taran.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Talmon planted a small metal aerial on the remaining portion of the wall.

"Can you at least take the tidying up seriously?" Aleena sighed, tossing the little boy over her shoulder. She walked over to the helicopter where Leon was already inside, sleeping soundly with Oobmon. When he was like this, she didn't hate him so much. It could even be said she liked him. However, there wasn't time for sentimentality in RODAF. "Jet lag," she muttered knowingly. It was probably past midnight by the look of the sky. Pulling the door open, she climbed in. She set Taran down on the seat next to her, strapping him in, and Talmon took the spare seat next to Leon, slamming the door behind him and waking up their companions.

"What's going on?" Leon murmured—half asleep still—blinking to wake himself up.

Aleena tapped her headset as the helicopter began to take off. "Put it on," she shouted above the noise of the whirring blades.

He understood and took off his bobble hat to reveal his dirty blonde hair. It was bushy and curly, a little like a messy teddy. "How long until we reach Home Base?"

"Lee, I don't like heights," his partner mumbled, looking out of the window. "Have I ever told you this?"

Oobmon was very uneasy but it just made Aleena angry. No one was much use to her except Tal. "Your partner needs to conquer his fear. He flies, himself, for Christ's sake!"

"Don't be mean," the blond retorted. "You're just jealous because we actually like each other. Talmon just tolerates you."

"Whatever." Whether Talmon liked her or not didn't matter.

The town of Acquina eventually disappeared from view and the darkness became their environment.

~.~.~

After a while the pilot's crackly muffled voice resounded in the headsets: "We are nearing Home Base." He sounded sleepy and it was clear the rest of them were much the same.

"Okay." Aleena stretched and undid the bobble in her green and blue hair, allowing it to fall around her shoulders.

"Time to debrief," Talmon announced, yawning.

"Probably the only thing you don't get excited about," Aleena mused.

"At least I'm not afraid of heights," Talmon said, sticking out his tongue.

"Stop bringing that up!" Leon snapped. "Anyway, I'm not debriefing. I wasn't officially on this mission," he chirped, grinning.

Aleena shook her head and tightly grabbed hold of his ear. "You had your own mission, stupid," she hissed into the stretched ear.

Leon growled like a dog and pulled away quickly, going into a huff. "I hate you." He was such a child. Then again, so was she.

The island that floated in the sky between America and Britain—Home Base—came into view. It was only a few acres wide, but it was plenty and it was home. The pilot hovered near the island before speaking to the group. "In we go." He eased the helicopter across the boundary sideways, tipping the plane slightly. Then it spun out of control unexpectedly. A Digimon attack? Missiles? Murder?

Aleena gripped her seat, cursing repeatedly.

"LEE!" Oobmon squawked.

"I know, buddy. We're gonna die!" Leon grabbed his partner, clenching his eyes shut. "I'm too young to die!"

"Wee!" Talmon held his arms and ears up into the air.

The pilot began to laugh loudly as the plane settled.

"Conan!" Aleena exclaimed angrily, releasing the white knuckled grip on her seat.

Slowly, the helicopter eased into the base. "It was to wake y'all up," Conan protested, his Southern drawl showing through more obviously. The island was entirely mechanical. On each of the four sides there were three humongous rotors that allowed it to hover in its position. In the top left corner was their location – the black tarmac helipads.

The metal bird hovered over the tarmac for a second before it began its descent. It was just audible, above the whirring of the blades, that the pilot was flicking switches and pressing buttons to make sure the landing was a smooth one. Dust from the tarmac swirled around the helicopter, covering up the windows, negating any view of the outside.

As soon as the blades stopped kicking up fresh dust, Oobmon burst out of the door, his tiny mouth sucking in the air quickly in an attempt to relax. "Come on, Lee, let's go!" he uneasily exclaimed, still trembling as he looked back at the mechanical beast.

Leon smiled and climbed out of the open door. He walked over to Oobmon and pulled his hat back on and then grabbed and hugged his friend protectively. Oobmon slowed his breathing and leaned into the hug, being that he had no actual arms to hold onto Leon with.  
"Thank you Lee," Oobmon whispered, closing his eyes.

Talmon pushed open the other door and picked up Taran, but as he moved to climb down a man in a crisp black suit walked over to the door with a metal stretcher next to him.

He looked at Talmon through his black sunglasses but the Digimon didn't move.

"What?" Talmon folded his arms, Taran held firmly in his ears.

"Place the target onto the stretcher," he ordered in a monotone voice.

Aleena walked up behind Talmon and placed her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "It's okay." She took Taran from her partner's ears and placed him onto the stretcher.

After he was on the stretcher, the man strapped him in tightly.

Aleena loudly asked, "Is that _really_ needed?"

"We don't know what risk he poses," the man replied curtly.

"He's asleep. And like eight! That's no risk, idiot," she growled, locking eyes with him as Talmon placed the other present he had collected under one of the straps.

"Goodbye," he stated flatly, walking away towards the hospital.

"One day, I'll kill Andrew," Aleena grumbled, jumping out and stretching. "One bullet, right between his eyes and bang. No more headaches. Well… there's Rori too. And Leon."  
"I can never tell if you're joking about stuff like this," Talmon said, hopping down onto the ground.

Aleena looked over her shoulder and replied, deadpan, "I don't make jokes." That wasn't entirely true, occasionally, she'd make a joke if the situation allowed it.

Aleena started walking towards the Debriefing Room. The sooner she got this over and done with, the sooner she could get to Poker Night with Reuben and Nyx. The Debriefing Room was situated within the fenced area that the vehicles were kept in so it wasn't a far walk.

Talmon left her side to catch Leon as he tried to creep away discreetly. He leapt onto the blond's shoulders and tugged at his ears to get him to change course. "This way; you have a debriefing too."

Leon sighed. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath.

"March, slave!" Talmon ordered, chuckling, as Oobmon began to fly towards Aleena.

"It's always me," Leon grumbled as he started walking the same way.

* * *

 **Why was Alphamon there? What is Simyan hiding? What will happen to Taran? And what on earth is an EDAM? All will be revealed eventually. The site for the fic is live currently and being built up. The link can be found in my bio.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	4. Chapter Three: New Arrival

As she walked in, Aleena saw a familiar redhead and her partner. "Crap." Groaning, she rubbed her head as she felt the headache coming on pre-emptively.

Rori jumped up, waving. "Hey!" She patted the seat next to her. "Come sit next to me!"

Aleena sighed. "I'd rather not."

"That's fine too. I just finished my debriefing but I'll definitely stay for yours if you want!" Rori sat back down, looking at her partner, Orchidemon.

"Please leave," Aleena grumbled, rolling her eyes at the thought of having Rori there unnecessarily.

Rori pouted, standing up slowly. "If you're sure…"

"I am." Aleena walked over, taking the furthest seat from Rori.

Talmon walked in, Leon and Oobmon in tow. "Play nice."

"That means I can stay?" Rori asked, grinning.

Talmon looked at Aleena and then back to Rori. "Sure."

Aleena cursed inwardly. That rabbit just loved to annoy her. Glancing over to the front, she saw a man in a pressed green military uniform. Lord Kayran, their commanding officer and the head of RODAF.

"Please take your seats," he ordered.

Leon sighed, walking over and slumping into the nearest orange plastic chair situated in front of the projector.

Talmon leapt from his perch on Leon's shoulders and landed in the seat next to Aleena. "We caught up eventually," he whispered.

"That's true," Aleena said, looking forwards to their CO. Something thwacked against the side of her head and Aleena spun to see Leon sticking out his tongue.

"I could be in bed right now," he hissed.

Aleena snatched up the ball of paper he had thrown by her foot and tossed it back. "You'll sleep through this anyway!"

"I wanna play!" Rori chimed, looking around for some paper.

"Leon…" Oobmon muttered as the door opened.

From the doorway, a man in a pristine black suit with matching sunglasses walked in. Andrew. He quickly took up position next to Kayran at the front.

Aleena sighed as she saw him stood proudly at the front. He was such a tool. The screen abruptly flickered on and an image of the boy from earlier was projected onto the screen. He was asleep in a hospital bay, still strapped down to the stretcher. Around him, a nurse and doctor were strapping equipment onto him.

"Now that everyone has arrived," the man in the army uniform began slowly but purposefully. "We shall begin with the debriefing."

"Yes, sir," they all replied in unison.

Picking his nose, Leon flicked it lackadaisically at Andrew.

Andrew glared at Leon, who pretended not to notice. Gritting his teeth, Andrew clenched his fists. He was so easily riled up.

Leon stuck out his tongue while Kayran discussed the agenda.

Then there was silence. Aleena snapped her eyes back to their CO to see why.

Kayran shot a vicious glare at the man in the black suit. "Operative Andrew, take a seat, won't you?" It wasn't a request, and was only thinly veiled as one.

"Sorry, sir." The man with the caramel-coloured skin rushed off to a seat without a single protest.

"Now that everyone is _finally_ seated, I have something to show you all," he announced, tapping a button on the black controller in his hand. The previous live feed of Taran vanished and an image of him at the beach with his family flashed on. It looked almost serene, with crystal clear water in the background. "This child was recovered from the mainstream population and brought here because his soul Reprieved during REM sleep." He pressed the button again and the screen changed to footage of Taran's body jolting about as he slept in a dark blue room.

Rori covered her mouth in shock, nearly crying as it showed blood dripping from his nose. Her emotions always got the better of her.

"He looks crazy weird," Leon commented, watching the footage intently. The man at the front shot him a glare and Leon looked down at his shoes in embarrassment.

The man pressed the button again and the image swapped back to one of the beach. Rori wiped her eyes to see the man glaring at her. "Sorry," she whispered.

He sighed. "That particularly powerful Reprieve—and the catastrophic damage of the Pseudo Digimon he spawned in the next town—means, as you all know, he is a Digidestined. He's probably a more powerful one than any other RODAF operative. However, he is now one of us." He pressed a button and their logo flashed up.

"Where's his Digimon?" Oobmon whispered to Leon.

"Yeah, where is his partner. He can't be stronger than me and Oobmon without one!"

Kayran's burning gaze was directed in full force at Leon. "Operative Leon," he enunciated every letter, malice dripping from his tongue. "It is within the box the child has that his Digiegg lies in waiting."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Leon threw his arms up and then folded them across his chest. "I mean, I'm not psychic!"

"Silence!" Lord Kayran barked, his voice vibrating Aleena's bones.

Slowly, their Commanding Officer paced across the small, raised platform at the front until he stopped on the other side of the screen. "So, now that's settled; it's time to talk about the mission." His eyes moved over them all until the black orbs focussed on Aleena. "Operative Aleena, would you like to begin?" The question was rhetorical. She had to.

She focussed her eyes on his shiny black boots in order to evade his gaze. They were polished to a high standard but the signs of war and conflict were still visible beneath the heavy layers of polish, just like Kayran himself. "When we got to the house." She looked up as the image changed to one of the house.

"Go on," Kayran urged, walking over to the chairs and pulling one close to the screen to sit on.

"We saw a UDD preparing to possibly kill or kidnap our target and maybe others too." She paused, waiting to see if he offered criticism but he didn't. "I used the Mega Spark Professor Simyan had gave me and fought with Alphamon to prevent casualties." She paused again, waiting for an interruption but none came.

"And-" She saw his mouth open and flinched, her eyes and ears closing briefly in preparation for the rant that would follow.

"Aleena?" he exclaimed, spittle spraying out. "Why did you do it?" No one said a word in her defence, in fact you could have heard a pin drop at that moment.

She breathed deeply, trying to keep her emotions in check as he continued to shout about how she had been no match. "We had no choice!" She only faltered slightly, keeping calm. He would not get to her.

Kayran leaned back in his chair, willing her to go on.

"We were the only operatives in the area and facing him was the only option to retrieve the target." She felt her confidence return as she spoke.

He sighed, waving his hand tiredly. "Continue."

"We battled for a bit before we were knocked into the house." Feeling an air of unease around her, she looked straight into Kayran's eyes and saw the fury hidden behind them. She debated continuing for a moment before realising that everyone else was frozen solid. "Ermm, sir?"

"That's civilian property damage!" he exclaimed, clenching his teeth.

"Talmon cleaned it up." She had to stay calm and cool but now her partner was in the hot seat.

Kayran's eyes flitted over to Talmon. "Well?"

"I placed a signal for regulation builders to locate and fix the house by morning, and for agents to wipe the memories of everyone in the street." He kept cool under the pressure from Kayran, more so than Aleena. She was truly proud of him. Although, it was probably due to that detective movie he watched last night rather than her own influence.

Lord Kayran sighed, realising there was little else that could be done to rectify the situation. "Continue, Operative Aleena."

Inwardly groaning as the attention was placed back on her, she tried to think of what to say next. Skipping to the end seemed smart. "Then Leon and Oobmon arrived and Alphamon cleared off." She had hoped the hot seat would be passed to Leon but there wasn't any luck in that department. His eyes were still boring into her soul. "We collected the target and left immediately." Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed but quickly looked back up as she realised she had forgot something. "Oh, and we used sleeping powder on him and his parents to stop any resistance."

"That was an adult dose. You could have harmed the target," Lord Kayran retorted swiftly.

Quickly, Aleena blurted, "We had no choice." Crap. Now she had to justify it. "We either passed or failed."

"And?"

"After that we returned to Home Base."

Rori bounced up and down in her seat, raising her hand and waving it about. "I finished the quickest, with no casualties, and now I'm here too!" Giving Kayran a thumbs up, she announced proudly, "Mission Success!"

Aleena groaned, rolling her eyes. "No one cares."

Rori sighed and sat back down.

Lord Kayran got up slowly, looking at them all and lifting his foot into the air. He thrust it suddenly, launching the chair he had sat on across the room. It screeched loudly as the metal legs scraped against the stone floor until it crashed against the back wall of the long room. He tapped the button on his controller and their logo appeared on the screen.

"What's this?" he demanded.

"The RODAF logo," Aleena replied, keeping her outward appearance calm.

"And what does it mean?"

"Anyone who has that logo is part of the Retrieval of Digidestined Auxiliary Force," Oobmon explained, having finally got over his motion sickness.

"And why is no one wearing the logo?" he asked, catching them all off guard.

Rori shuffled her feet, blushing slightly. "What do I say?" she whispered quietly to Orchidemon.

Leon looked down and away in a silent huff but Aleena didn't startle. She stared back at him with fierce disobedience. Even though she was managing to return his gaze she didn't have the stomach to muster a response.

"We will end here. You're all dismissed; I'll debrief you later, Leon," he announced. He pressed a button on the controller and the screen went black.

Aleena got to her feet along with the others but turned when she noticed her partner had stayed behind.

"What'll happen to Taran?" he asked.

"Talmon, leave it," she hissed. It was like jabbing a sleeping lion with a stick.

"The target will be held in our medical facility temporarily until other arrangements can be made. You're all off the clock for today." He kept his gaze fixated on them until they all left, one by one, through the green door.

Aleena stopped as she saw Andrew's partner hovering towards them. It was a large floating rock with black slits for eyes and a larger slit, which could grow and shrink accordingly, for a mouth. "Great," she grumbled.

"G-Mon, is that you?" Rori called, waving with a grin. "It's been so long!"

"G-Mon," Andrew said, nodding to his partner.

The green haired girl could feel her life slipping away as she watched the reunion. "This is boring," she commented, leaving quickly to avoid killing her brain cells any further. She hated how childish everyone was; their lack of professionalism was astounding. If that wasn't bad enough, their conversation was dull at best. However, most of all, she hated how irritating their voices all were. Also, the lack of sleep for the past few days was catching up on her.

Talmon smiled apologetically behind her before following after. The two were headed to the Relaxation complex. It was on the left of the Rest complex, where people were still sleeping.

Rori shrugged, smiling, and then ran off after Aleena. "Wait up!" she called, jumping up and down and waving. "Let's have some girl time!"

~.~.~

Leon shrugged as he looked at Andrew. Actually talking to the older male was impossible. He was incredulously boring. Smiling briefly, Leon headed towards the sleeping quarters in the Rest complex. Orchidemon and Oobmon exchanged brief glances before both followed their partners, leaving just Andrew and G-Mon behind.

~.~.~

Rori chased after her aloof friend; she really wanted to catch up to Aleena before she set up her infamous wall of silence.

Aleena swung the doors open to the Relaxation complex and walked through with her partner, not bothering to hold it for Rori and Orchidemon.

Rori sighed, Aleena was always like this to her and she could never work out why. All she could do was try to win her over with kindness, as her mum had always told her. There was no one who couldn't be won over with a smile and a hug; not even Aleena.

"Hey," Rori called, rushing towards the glass doors that formed a circle when closed. She rushed up to the doors, pushing them open. "So, did you have fun?" she chirped, kicking off her shoes as Aleena walked across the yellow Amazonian rug that served as an extra-long doormat.

"Go away." Aleena stepped onto the fluffy red carpet, which was spread throughout the rest of the building, her partner following her.

Rori stopped in her tracks, her smile dropping. She felt like a wounded victim for some reason, except the pain was from words not weapons. Rori knew that if she was persistent she could be there when Aleena needed her. So, she breathed deeply and then started smiling again as her partner brushed past her to join Talmon in the small beds in the corner of the room. "I'll come over in a sec," she called as Aleena sat down on a green sofa in front of the large TV. Being there for people made Rori feel warm inside but Aleena didn't even get her to feel lukewarm most times.

Aleena's response was gruff, "Don't care."

Swallowing back the pain, Rori rushed over as Aleena picked up the remote from the glass coffee table and tapped the 'on' button. The older girl had stretched out and taken up a whole sofa, which meant Rori had to sit on her own. She pouted in frustration, lying down on the light green sofa. "You okay?" she asked, eager to start a conversation with Aleena. A lock of her curly red hair fell down and she brushed it away, keeping her eyes focussed on the other girl.

"Shut up," Aleena grumbled.

It was like talking to a wall. If walls could hurl insults. "But—"

"You're loud, high-energy, overly perky and basically annoying," Aleena growled.

The words cut deep and caused Rori to retreat within herself. "I- I'm sorry," she stammered weakly. Annoying anyone was the last thing she intended to do.

"Just be quiet." Aleena turned up the volume on the television.

"I really am sorry," she whispered. All she wanted was some sign of approval for all her hard work but it never came.

~.~.~

Leon yawned as he walked into the Rest Complex. His footsteps resounded off the dark cream wooden flooring and made it seem like there were cannons going off in his head. The silence, coupled with his exhaustion, made every single sound amplify by ten. He tossed his shoes off in the general direction of the shoe rack and walked up the spiralling staircase towards the domed glass ceiling. Looking at his feet while walking, especially the cool Cuddles Bear design on his socks, he thought about his trip but suddenly noticed a bare pair of feminine feet on the next stair. He lifted his head slowly to see a familiar brunette.

"Hey," she whispered suggestively.

He paused in shock, feeling his eyes widen as he saw Rachel's dainty frame clad in little else than a translucent red nightdress which accentuated her large chest. Her legs were bronzed and shiny, much like the rest of her. "I-" he stammered.

"Like what you see?" she asked with a playful wink.

"Hey," Leon mumbled back sheepishly, looking down at his feet to hide the burning sensation in his cheeks.

"Oh, no," Rachel cooed. "Don't look down." Giggling, she placed her finger under his chin and lifted his head slowly. Their eyes locked and her beauty paralyzed him. "Your face is so…" A smile crept across her lips slowly. "Yum," she said breathlessly, rubbing the palm of her hand across his cheek before resting against the wall, her nightdress barely covering her as it slipped off one shoulder and she smiled, her red lips pursed slightly.

"So's yours," he muttered, blushing at the compliment. This was so awkward. Why was she doing this?

"Why so quiet?" she asked, looking at her fingernails in an uninterested manner.

"No reason." Looking at her chest made his pants suddenly feel tighter. He hurriedly placed his hands over the embarrassment and tried to move past her.

She seemed to notice his eagerness to escape and moved into his way. "You want to go to bed?"

"Yeah, I do," he said urgently, feigning a yawn. Faced with actually doing anything with such a beautiful girl, he was unable to breathe properly let alone act.

"Well, my room is free…" Rachel winked, and then smiled sweetly. "So… maybe…" She placed her fingertip onto his chest and winked.

"So's mine," he chirped back, slipping underneath her arm and rushing upstairs.

Rachel stamped her foot in frustration and turned around. "Come here, cutie!" she ordered.

He continued to hurry up the steps but slowed down as he realised how angry she seemed. "Rach, I'm super tired," he protested. His eyes were drooping, and he was too tired to keep fighting her so that meant giving in. Hearing her rush up the stairs, he sighed as she caught up to him, tapping his back gently.

"It's fine, I don't mind doing the hard work," she said with a playful giggle.

Leon turned to face her, and as he did, she made deft work of his skiing coat, unzipping it and throwing it over the banister and onto the floor below.

Rachel moved closer, lifting his top and touching his abs as she brought her face close to his.

"What d'you want?" he asked quietly, looking her in the eyes.

She looked hurt for a moment but regained her usual flirty persona quickly. "I just want to be with you."

Pursing her lips together, she traced her finger up his chest and lifted his t-shirt with it. "...My little cutie face." She squeezed his cheek.

He growled and pulled away, stepping backwards. Why had she mentioned that!? Rachel seemed genuinely upset but he couldn't take it back now. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly. Admitting this to her was so embarrassing but it would be the only way to stop her from going nuclear. "It's just, I don't like people bringing up the fact that my face hasn't exactly caught up to the rest of me yet."

He felt incredibly embarrassed for admitting it but heard her move up another step so they were almost touching again.

She stepped up again, so they were on the same step. Turning him to face her, she leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, "It's fine, I love your face." It sent shivers down his whole body.

Leon turned to look at her. "Rach…"

He looked at her, and their eyes reflected each other. She leaned in further, smiling as she puckered her lips. There was little else he could do now to stop her.

"What are you two doing?"

Leon nearly fell off the stair, gripping onto the glass banister and pulling himself up just before his feet transitioned into the air. Not daring to move for a second he looked at Rachel nervously and then turned slowly to see Andrew walking up the stairs with G-Mon and Oobmon. Pointing at himself, and then her, he shook his head. "I- I'm- She's- Nothing," Leon stammered, blushing profusely.

" _Nothing?_ " she fumed, shock illuminating her face. She pushed him away and ran up the stairs, wailing like a banshee.

"Looks like you're in hot water," Andrew joked, walking up the stairs and patting Leon on the shoulder.

He was happy Andrew had stopped the awkward situation but mad that he had somehow still made things worse. Andrew really was as useless as Aleena said. Leon turned and stormed up the stairs with Oobmon in tow. "'Night, Andrew," he grumbled, stopping as he reached the third floor. He walked towards his room.

"Don't you want to—?"

"'Night, Andrew," he repeated louder and sterner. Slamming his door behind him, he staggered over to his bed—which had a skiing motif—and groaned loudly into his fluffy pillow. Why did his life suck so bad!?

~.~.~

Taran woke up abruptly, slightly startled by what had happened prior to him falling to sleep. His eyes darted around the room and he realised quickly that he wasn't in his own bed. Lifting his head up, he saw that he was only wearing his white boxers because there were wires and needles attached all over his body. The majority of the strange equipment was stuck into his upper body with very little below the waistline.

He jerked a little in shock. He had no idea what was going on. Fear caused him to start breathing more rapidly until he found himself in a nervous panic. When he realised he was panicking, that exacerbated the problem. Where was he? Why was he here? What was all this stuff for? Who did this to him? The only solution was to escape.

Panicking more and more, he started writhing about, trying to wriggle free of all this medical junk. Taran was hoping that somehow he could get it all off him and get back home and away from wherever this was. His miniscule movements weren't working so he started flapping his wrist to get the needle out of the back of his hand. It slipped out, leaving a trail of blood and causing the exit wound to hurt a fair bit. When he tore off the suction cups, his skin erupted like it was on fire.

Taran pulled at the rest of the macabre instruments, trying to remove them. In a blind panic, he pulled at the cords, screaming in pain as they severed his flesh on the way out. The brunet didn't care if anyone heard him. This was too scary. He began to howl in pain, shaking and unable to move as a particularly big needle ripped free from his belly.

A nurse, the only one he could see on the ward, turned after hearing him yelling and rushed over. "Leave me alone!" Taran begged, tears in his eyes as he tried to get out of the bed with the needles still attached and blood staining his white boxer shorts crimson. His head became heavy as the nurse started shouting inaudibly, pushing him back down and holding him in place.

His mind began to grow fuzzy as she held him down. He wasn't able to fight, his eyes just wanted to rest. Looking at the nurse in a daze, he tried to focus but suddenly a gaggle of other medical staff burst through. Seeing them charge at him, like piranhas at feeding time, terrified him and made him want to run again. He had to get away; he could think straight later.

With newfound energy, Taran started to swing his arms about, wrenching more of the strange objects free as he struck out at the members of staff. His vision was becoming hazy. The world was moving in slow motion as they fought back against him. It was as if his ears had been stuffed with cotton wool. His hearing became muted. He tried to struggle but he was pushed back down to the bed. Their mouths were moving but no sound came out. Opening his own mouth, Taran tried to squeal, but nothing came out it, either. Taran kicked one of the nurses in the face, trying to fight his way out, but after that the others quickly clamped his legs down. He tried screaming again but he was beginning to think he'd forgotten how to speak because it was just silence as his head lolled backwards.

A doctor, notable by his stethoscope, rushed through the curtain. He barged his way through the other staff and stopped near Taran's head, placing the classic doctoral instrument onto his chest. The ice cold feeling was felt only momentarily before the physician returned the stethoscope back around his neck. Taran cried in anguish as the man said something, and then his head was forced sideways onto the pillow. He could see in his peripheral vision that the middle aged man had been given a syringe of blue fluid and was squirting it out of the top. Struggling because he didn't want another needle to touch him, he tried to shout again but the metal was plunged into his flesh and the cooling liquid began to course through his veins. It made him shiver and want to escape but quickly he felt himself becoming weaker and weaker until his vision turned to black and the fear subsided.

* * *

 **Will Taran be okay? What is going on between Rachel and Leon? Will Rori ever get Senpai to notice her? Answers will be revealed.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	5. Chapter Four: Simyan The Secret Keeper

In a haze of blurred colours and muffled sounds, Taran heard his name.

"Taran? If you'll please, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Taran glanced over at the ape-man sat at the end of his bed. Was this a dream? "Taran?"

Could he speak? His throat was sore. Swallowing back, he managed to rasp, "Yes?" This was so bizarre. He couldn't move any of his body. All he could do was look straight ahead at blank walls and that monkey man.

"Excellent. My name is Simyan and I'm here to guide you." Guide him? Guide him where?

Instead of asking, Taran preserved his words and decided to go along with the dream. "Okay."

Simyan withdrew a iHoloPad from nowhere and then a iHoloPen. It was a dream, so pulling objects out of seemingly nowhere did make sense. The ape-man wiggled the iHoloPen in his hand as he read something on the iHoloPad. Weren't dreams normally faster paced? "Your full name?"

"Taran Lucas James Jones." He hated his middle names. It made his usually short name so long and both the names were stupid too.

Simyan scribbled onto his iHoloPad. "And your date of birth?" Was this a registration for heaven or something? Had he died?

"The fifth of October, twenty-six ninety-one." His birthday seemed so far away now.

"That's all the basics…" Simyan muttered as he scribbled repeatedly and then flicked the blue holographic screen with his finger to move the display. He looked up and grinned. "Now for the fun stuff."

"Have you ever met or do you have plans to meet anyone with the following names: Matt Ishida, Mimi Tachikawa, Joe Kido, T.K Takaishi, Davis Motomiya, Yolei Inoue, Cody Hida, Ken Ichijouji, Sora Takenouchi, Izzy Izumi or Tai and Kari Kamiya?" The names sounded really weird and definitely weren't any Taran recognised.

"No."

Simyan scribbled on his pad. "A few nights ago, did you have a dream that someone was in your room?"

Taran felt his vision fog over and the scene replayed in his head.

~.~.~

Waking up in a fit of sweats, he looked around his dark bedroom. That dream had just been crazy white noise and flying giraffes. He loved giraffes. Sitting up, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed. Above him, his older brother slept soundly on the upper bunk bed. Careful not to wake him, Taran grabbed a glass of water from his bedside table and sipped it to quench his thirst. To his right, near the lamp in the corner, he saw something move. Immediately, Taran opened his mouth to scream but whoever it was flew across the room, like a ghost but faster than lightning, and clamped a firm hand over his mouth. Taran's grip loosened on the glass but with the other hand, the figure placed the glass back down on the table.

"Gru Araa Yoo?" Taran yelled through the calloused hand. Who, or what, on earth was this beast?

At the other end of the arm was a face, too dark to make out save for the sparkling blue eyes and blond hair. "It's okay. This is just a dream, go back to sleep, Tea Ka. I mean… Taran." At least they weren't a big scary monster.

This was a dream? In his own room? How boring. "Ploo Don Kill Moo." He really didn't want them to kill him when he closed his eyes.

"I promise it'll all be okay. Now you're here, we have a chance." Why was he saying now Taran was here? Taran had always been here. "Now go back to sleep." The hand moved away and then the whole person disappeared in a flash of blue light.

 _~.~.~_

Taran groaned as he came back to the white room. "How did you know?"

Simyan ignored him and wrote rapidly on the pad. "In that dream, do you remember anything about the face you saw?"

Taran felt a bit uneasy talking about this. Was this monkey inside his head? "It had blue eyes. Really blue eyes that were as sparkly as the sea. And I think blond hair?" He wasn't sure of the last statement due to how long ago it had been.

"Mm, and what did they say?" Simyan twirled the pen in his fingers.

"They said: Now that I'm here, they had a chance." Taran looked at Simyan for clues but even if he was reacting, it was hard to work out the expression on his ape-like face.

Scribbling on the iHoloPad for a while, Simyan eventually glanced up. "I'm going to say a few names to you and I want you to let me know if you recognise any of them. Okay?"

Taran wanted to nod but his body wouldn't respond. "Okay."

"Future Fighters, The Spanish Armada, Parricidium, Ladies Assassination Services Squad, Teikou, DAF, The Resistance?" Simyan looked at him, his eyes querying Taran's lack of response cautiously. "None of them?"

Taran tried to nod but remembered he couldn't. "No, I don't recognise any."

"Well, I suppose there's little chance of you recognising the others," Simyan mumbled.

Simyan scrolled down again and then grinned. "Time for a pop quiz."

Taran hated quizzes. He wasn't very smart and they just made him feel even more stupid.

"What's the capital of the UK?"

"Sabhailte." Taran was sure of this one. He'd been there once for his eldest brothers' graduation.

"And this was formerly known as what before the great wars?"

Taran clenched his eyes shut and tried to dig inside his head. He knew this! "London?"

Simyan nodded and scribbled down on his Pad. "Is it legal to go into the Digital World?"

Taran moved to shake his head, but remembered yet again he couldn't. "No."

"Are all Digimon dangerous?"

Taran shivered as he remembered the stories his parents would tell him about Digimon taking naughty children away. "Yes. Wait. Maybe." Taran believed in the best in everyone, even monsters. Stories weren't real, after all.

Simyan paused and gazed cautiously at Taran, his eyes narrowed and focussed on Taran's face. "One final question."

Taran grinned. It was nearly over and then he could hopefully wake up for real and be back at home. "Yes, mister?"

"Do you know where Gennai is?"

Taran frowned. The name didn't really ring a bell. "No, sorry, mister."

"Thank you. That'll be all." Simyan stood up and then Taran felt himself blacking out.

~.~.~

Simyan walked back into his lab. Using _that_ on Taran had tired him out. That dream had been interesting though, marginally worth the strain. It was just a shame that he had found out all that he could for now, pushing the boy any further wouldn't be worth the risk. Walking up to a collection of four computer screens at the back of his lab, he called out. "Release the firewall." The four screens moved apart, revealing an old-fashioned noticeboard with thirteen photos on. Various coloured strings were joined between several of the photos and scraps of paper had been pinned to the board at particular points. It was the original twelve and Gennai. This was the biggest mystery he had ever faced and he only had one lead, barring the information Taran had just given him.

 _Buzz Buzz!_

Simyan withdrew the iHoloPhone from his lab coat. Holding it up to his face, he looked at the caller ID. Unknown. "Answer."

The phone clicked on and then a voice spoke. "Did he remember?"

Simyan sighed. "It's just you." He walked over to the middle of the room, and down the few steps to the lower area and took a seat on his computer chair. "He thought it was a dream. You're safe. Why on earth you thought it was wise to do that, I'll never know."

"I had to see him in the flesh. The boy who'll save the world."

Simyan held the phone to his ear using his shoulder. "Screen Summon," he whispered, careful not to speak loud enough for the man on the other end of the line to hear. A screen flew over to him from the right and as he held out his hands, a keyboard appeared. "Matt, I really think you've got it wrong."

"Gennai told me the prophecy when I last saw him. When a Jogress Reprieve appears, then that is when the chosen has appeared."

Simyan brought the news story up on the screen. It'd been immediately taken down and archived by RODAF and all those involved or with knowledge imprisoned and brainwashed. An Imperialdramon had appeared in a city near to Taran's home town and almost wiped the city off the face of the map. Some grainy footage on the website showed Imperialdramon slashing a block of flats in half before the camera cut out.

Closing out of the page and brushing the screen away, but not back to its place, he grabbed the phone. "There's no proof it was his reprieve other than that he reprieved at the same time. Other people did too. It was the Winter Solstice, after all."

"But he was closest to the spawn point as far as we know. Come on, Professor. We need this."

Simyan watched the timer in the corner of the nearby screen nervously. "Matt, I do wish you'd tell me a bit more about the others, you know. Perhaps with it, I could help you out some more."

"If this is bribery, it won't work." The phone cut off abruptly. Exactly two minutes and fifty-nine seconds. A second later and Simyan could have traced the call exactly. As it was, with the signal being bounced all over the world, he hadn't been able to triangulate yet again. It was rudimentary software, so there was a chance he could upgrade but something told him Matt would still evade him.

Sliding across the room on his chair, Simyan looked at the whiteboard from a distance. He still knew so little about them all. When Matt had first contacted him, he was sure that would complete the puzzle but the man—who should be dead—had proved to be obstinate at every twist and turn of the way. "Let the Firewall Fall." The screens closed up the whiteboard again and Simyan withdrew the long silver rectangle from his pocket, feeling the cool metal in his hand briefly before holding it out and allowing it to open up into his iHoloPad. It was time to analyse his data on Taran.

~.~.~

Talmon rolled out of bed, careful not to wake Aleena. Thunder boomed behind him, following the previous bout of lightning. Walking slowly across the white carpeted floor, he was careful not to trip in the darkness. The lightning flashed again, briefly lighting up the small dorm room before leaving it dark again. Under the door, a sliver of light seeped into the darkened room. Reaching up to the handle, he pulled the door open a crack and slipped out, closing it behind himself as the heart pulsing thunder sounded again. The hallway spent the whole night lit up as people were coming and going at all hours due to missions.

As he padded down the brown carpeted hallway towards the floor length window at the end, he yawned. He was tired, sure. But sleep escaped him a lot. Ahead, he saw a small figure floating off the ground; it was clearly a Digimon. As he got closer, he saw it was Orchidemon. It was strange. As much as Aleena detested Rori, Talmon really didn't mind her partner.

"Hey, Orchidemon. You still up?" Talmon walked up next to her, sitting down on the ground and looking out into the dark clouds all around them as the lightning danced across them.

Orchidemon glanced over. "Yes." The flower fairy Digimon was so stoic that it always made having a conversation hard. However, on a night like this it was quite nice to just watch the scenery.

"Couldn't sleep?" Talmon glanced over at her as she stopped hovering and rested on the ground next to him.

"No."

"Is that no you couldn't sleep or no there's another reason you're out here?" Talmon laughed. The answer he'd get would likely only be a word or two and yet he'd just used so many.

"Two."

Talmon frowned. What other reason could there be? "What's the reason then?"

"Rori Nightmare. Sad." Orchidemon's eyes became downcast.

"I see." Talmon leant back, using his ears for support. "Why don't we talk about you, instead, for a change?"

"Me?" Orchidemon asked with shock. She looked at him and then back at the clouds. "Me…"

"So, why do you talk so little? Didn't Rori teach you how to speak?"

"Words Precious. Don't waste. Like Rori." Orchidemon seemed confident. It was clear there were some gaps in her knowledge but she seemed to be content. Happy, even, in her lack of verbal skills.

Talmon smirked. It was quite cute really. At first, he had thought she meant like Rori in terms of using words sparingly, but instead it was a reference to how much Orchidemon cared for her partner's wellbeing. To her, Rori was greater in value than the biggest blood diamond.

"How did you two meet?" Talmon remembered meeting Aleena like it was yesterday. It was when she was about to go into Juvenile Detention.

"Rori hugged egg. Egg was me." Orchidemon really gave nothing away with her response.

Talmon laughed. "But where? What happened?"

"In forest. We had special fruit Rori saved. Dragon fruit." Orchidemon smiled wide. It was almost shocking to see her show any expression as she was usually a blank slate.

"That's nice." Talmon said, smiling back as he fondly recalled his first moments with Aleena. They weren't glamorous, for sure, but it was like his key found a sturdy lock in that moment. A lock that couldn't open to another key, as he was a key that could enter no other lock.

They both sat and watched the sky for a while before Talmon had to ask the question he had been thinking about the past week. "If we hadn't met them… Rori and Aleena, I mean. How different do you think we'd be?

"We wouldn't be." Orchidemon's wings fluttered.

"Wouldn't be different?" It was a strange take. Was his being, his thoughts, innate? Or was he a product of Aleena?

Orchidemon glanced at him. "Wouldn't be here."

"Of course. We wouldn't be in RO—" Talmon froze. He hadn't been giving her enough credit for such profound thoughts. Without Aleena and Rori, they probably wouldn't have been born. If he was a bit more of a pessimist, he'd consider it a life of servitude. But it was more akin to a soulmate. A friend there for his whole journey.

"Oobmon," Orchidemon muttered, still looking out at the lightning.

Talmon turned and saw Oobmon flying down the corridor at full speed. "What's wrong?"

"I hate lightning!" Oobmon scootered towards them. "Leon is too sleepy to cuddle me!"

Talmon stood up. "Slow down, you'll break something." He held up his arms to motion the little Digimon to stop, but Oobmon flew straight into them, nuzzling him.

"That's better." Oobmon breathed a sigh of relief.

"This really wasn't what I was intending to happen," Talmon said, groaning.

Orchidemon giggled. "Oobmon baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Oobmon exclaimed, flying over to her. He looked out of the window and flew straight back to Talmon without another word. "We're so high!"

"I thought it was just planes?" Talmon said, rubbing his head with his ear while Oobmon occupied his arms.

"All heights are too high," Oobmon said. The little Digimon closed his eyes and rubbed his little body against Talmon's brown belly, his breathing slowing and the light of his body dimming as he finally calmed down.

"Bed time." Orchidemon got up and glided away.

"I think I'll be okay now." Oobmon flew off, but jumped when a particularly loud thunder boomed behind them.

Talmon smiled and turned to look back out the window. Maybe one day, he and Aleena could just sit and watch the weather without having to think about missions. But, for now, he was going to have to go and put on his favourite movie and find a way to get back to sleep.

~.~.~

Floating upwards, she saw Home Base ahead of her. Without the AerialAce suit she was wearing, these winds would have already snuffed out her breath and tore her to shreds. In a flash to her right, Alice spotted blue light. A DigiPortal. This close to RODAF headquarters? It wasn't chance. This portal had been conjured. Through the portal burst three Parrotmon. Their colossal green bodies quickly flew upwards towards Home Base. An attack? On her? How foolish. They were just obstacles to bat out of her way before she reached Home Base.

Activating the boosters on the AerialAce suit, she shot up at them while they were still fresh faced. Now to activate that borrowed power of hers. Pushing with her palm, she unleashed a stream of iron filings from both of the pouches hanging at her hips. Both of the streams converged and formed a claw as they shot up ahead of the Parrotmon. Pulling back, she brought the claw towards them. While she hated using this for the tax it put on her incompatible body, it was the only way to level the playing field against Digimon without using her own Digimon partner.

One of the Parrotmon flew down towards her while the other two were caught by her initial gambit and became stunned, falling down below. "Sonic Destroyer!" The Parrotmon gathered a ball of lightning on its head and, in a flash, fired it as an arced beam.

Kicking out to her side, she flew away as the lightning shot down below but the Parrotmon had flown towards her in that time. Now faced with it in front of her, Alice had no choice. Activating the boosters, she flew over the top of Parrotmon. Unravelling the black bandages, which she was wearing around her body, Alice wrapped them around its neck as she flew over the top and tugged tight as she came down its back.

Parrotmon abruptly flew up like an arrow, dragging her with it at blistering speeds.

Letting go of the bandage, Alice flicked her wrist, releasing a spray of iron filings from her hip fluidly. She clenched her fist, hardening them fast into a blade and caught it. Tossing the blade, she activated her boosters to level herself out as Parrotmon tried to turn to face her. As planned, the blade embedded in its wing before Parrotmon could act any further. Moving her palms apart, she spread the filings throughout the incision, opening it up wider until the wing came clear away from the body and Parrotmon fell down below. Snapping her fingers, she reformed the iron filings into a spear and with an absentminded flick, she impaled the Digimon through its head and then withdrew the filings to form a defensive ring around her body.

Behind! Spinning, she spotted the two earlier Parrotmon both flying towards her with their turquoise claws outstretched. At times like this, she wished she was able to use Simon to help her. But her Digimon partner was banned from fighting. Never again would she let anyone get hurt for her. She would fight on her own two feet.

There. She saw it. The iron claw she had used to knock them out was flying up after them. She just had to stall. What would her master have told her if he was still alive? No, there was no time to think of such things.

"Sonic Destroyer!" The two crooned in unison.

Alice activated her boosters at the last second, watching the lightning fly past her and, in that second, she pulled up the iron she had been telepathically dragging up from below and used it to encapsulate one of the Parrotmon by clenching her fist. She held her fist out in front, turned to the side, and used the other arm for support. The ball of iron was difficult to control, partly due to weight, compression and the Parrotmon inside, but it was nearly over.

The other Parrotmon flew at her, its eyes sparkling with lightning.

With no means to do anything, she was sure it knew she was cornered. Or, she would be, if she were an amateur. Pulling the clenched fist in fast to her side, she dragged the wrecking ball with it, blowing it straight into the other Parrotmon and bringing it quickly towards her. Using the other hand, she flicked her finger upwards and spikes erupted from both the ball and the ring around her body, impaling and decimating her opponent. With one final clench of her fist, the iron ball squashed down hard before spreading back out and she watched the data spiral upwards around her. Now, nothing was in her way.

* * *

 **Wait, is that our Matt alive? Matt from Adventure? Or is he a phony? And who is this Alice person?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	6. Chapter Five: History 101

King clenched his fists, eyeing her nervously. He was clearly intimidated by her reputation. But he needn't be. In truth, so many of her victories relied on _that_ ability. She longed for the days where she had more time to pursue fighting by other means. Her World Record titles would not remain unbroken forever. And now she'd finished with the female opponents and the lightweight male opponents in MMA, she needed more of a challenge. King could provide a test for her. To see if she was still up to scratch.

Alice measured his height, weight, and muscle density at a glance to determine his reach, power and speed. This would be a battle of speed, rather than strength, if she were to play to her strengths. She slowly walked towards him, being closer before the battle started was beneficial. Without the bandages or training weights on her body, her vision was unhindered and her speed increased. Her mind flashed back, interrupting her battle stratagem.

~.~.~

Cursing inwardly, she bit her lip and said, "I need more power." Alice stood in front of Charles Kayran. He was behind his monolithic wooden desk clearly meant to resemble his might but succeeded only in making him look small.

"I knew you'd come around eventually." Kayran withdrew a tan folder and slid it across to her. "Go get this for me, I have an idea in mind for exactly how to improve that strength of yours."

Picking up the manila folder slowly, she flipped it open and saw her target. Without Seemon, it would be a challenge by itself but Simyan's Body Enhancing pills would more than suffice to improve her battle prowess. A Mega Level was no more difficult to bring down than a Rookie with the right preparation.

~.~.~

King darted at her, his haymaker coming in from the right.

Like she was made of rubber, Alice slipped under his arm, thrust her fist into his side and kicked at the back of his knee, knocking him to the ground. And then, twirling around his back, she moved to perform a headlock for an easy first round submission.

Sadly, King wasn't going to let that happen. As soon as her hands got close to him, he gripped her by the black lycra RODAF jumpsuit she was wearing, and tossed her over his head.

Alice righted herself mid-air and bounced off the wall gently, landing on her feet. Walking towards him slowly, she teasingly asked, "So, how is it, having all these new people around you when you were an original?"

King grunted, leaping up at her. He seemed to be all might and no flexibility but she couldn't leave room for error.

He threw a feint to her face and then brought his fist to her stomach.

Stepping back once to dodge, she saw him follow—as she thought—but now his firm balance was unsteadied. Gripping the wrist of the fist he'd thrown, she waited for him to throw the other at her right flank, which he did immediately. Slipping under it, she grabbed his right leg and flipped him over her body, pinning him to the ground in one swift movement.

Smirking while sat on top of his heaving chest, Alice saw his frustration. She felt it too, if she was honest. This had been sub-par at best for a first round. "Was my promotion to the Assassination Squad too much?"

King threw her off with a grunt and wiped his mouth.

"Or was it Cory's promotion?" Riling him up was cheap, but she wanted to know more about him and get him to come at her with more gusto. Knowing your own team's weaknesses and strengths was paramount to forming a winning strategy. That was why she had none and she fought alone. Without a weakness or a strength, she was an enigma that would kill before anyone had a chance to work her out.

King shook his head and sat down. "I give. Fighting you while like this is stupid. I'll just lose."

"Smarter than you look," Alice commented calmly, sitting down across from him. She kept her distance, just in case.

"You want to know more about me, right?"

"If you'd allow it," Alice said, giving nothing away. A good poker face was key to negotiations.

He spoke with a straight face and a calm tone, "I came from a good family, a happy well-off family." His vacant stare could be misconstrued as boredom but she could see him reliving these moments. "Age eight, RODAF took me in. Age fourteen, my mentor died as the last member of the team I had grown to love as my new family." King threw his hands out to the side lazily and sat back. "It's not a long story."

Alice studied him. He didn't appear to be lying. Still, it was a tragic tale worthy of comfort. But she wasn't the comforting type. Slowly, she said, "There, There, it's okay."

King rolled his eyes. "If that's all." He moved to stand up.

"My master died too." Alice saw him stop in his tracks. She felt the memories bubbling up inside of her. "And my parents, along with my subsequent guardians…" Alice watched him turn back to look at her but she could only see flashes of her past running across her vision now. "All at the hands of one man." She clenched her fist involuntarily, feeling the anger brew inside of her as she stared down at it. "It's now my goal—my only aim in life—to kill that man and avenge them."

King's hand touched her gently on the shoulder. Snapping her eyes up, she saw metal all around the room warped and bent out of shape, and all coming towards her. Relaxing, she relinquished her control over the metal and then she slowly pushed it back into position.

King eyed her carefully, his brown eyes devoid of malice. "I hope one day you can let go of that. Hatred only breeds more hatred."

Alice's pager buzzed at her hip before she could think on his words. Plucking it from its spot, she read the message. It was time for another mission. "I have to go."

"Remember what I said." King walked off, picking up his bag as he left. His partner, a slender female-looking Digimon called Calmoonmon, followed him quickly.

Alice shook her head. No blockhead was going to make her stop in her pursuit. _He_ would die by her hands eventually.

~.~.~

Rori watched closely as the fingernail was torn from the olive-skinned finger. Screams of agony erupted, accompanied by begging and pleading. From where she was stood, behind observation glass, Rori could tell that the new trainee was reaching her limit. However, that limit was too low to be acceptable and would obviously be ignored in favour of making her more hardy for the future.

"PLEASE, I CAN'T! PLEASE! I'LL TELL YOU! I'LL TELL YOU!" She hung her head in shame, blood dripping onto her naked body from her defeated face. Softly, her voice as hoarse as chalk, she whispered, "Please just stop."

"Put Operative 1512 in Isolation. Torture will resume in two hours." The intercom was like a god inside this area of Home Base. In your first few weeks, you would undergo combat training and torture training, which were the two pillars of RODAF employee's strength. At this time, you were known by your number and not your name, it was all part of establishing the correct mentality. There was no human contact, only the intercom. Until an Operative was able to resist level five torture, which involved mental manipulation, waterboarding, physical mutilation and much more, for up to 24 hours straight you were not cleared and would repeat until you passed.

Rori sighed and walked away. She had only came looking for Aleena anyway; she knew the green-haired girl constantly topped up her torture training, being far above Rori in that respect. Rumour had it Aleena had survived to level ten, which was the maximum level of torture expected of an operative to endure prior to their rescue in a real world scenario.

Heading down the echoing metal hallways, she heard something coming from one of the office rooms. Almost everyone was on lunch break in the Office Complex at this point. Peering through the window, she spotted Talmon talking to someone who was out of sight.

~.~.~

Seeing Rori ahead outside one of the torture chambers, Talmon sidestepped into the nearest office room. If Aleena saw them two chatting away it'd only serve to rile her up. Closing the door behind himself, he exhaled and looked around. The rooms were so simple really. Crimson carpet, a bookcase on the left and a table on the right along with a desk and… a person in a chair? A person not wearing the RODAF uniform? Talmon froze and so did they. Then his body moved before his mind could catch up, with his paw lifting and summoning a red misty dragon from a hastily formed glyph.

The pink haired woman sat idly and held up her hands. "And what's your name?"

Talmon fired the dragon at her, wrapping it tightly around her. "You're caught. What were you up to?"

Attempting, and failing, to flick her hair out of her eyes, she looked at him with a bright smile. "Talmon, isn't it? Reminds me of my own partner."

Talmon cursed. How did she know his name? "Don't try and trick me. Breaking into RODAF is punishable by death." He dragged her free from the desk and over the bookcase on the left wall, thrusting her against it. Books flew onto the floor, their contents spilling open.

Her eyes, her mouth, everything about her was as cool as a cucumber. "I'm here collecting data on RODAF's Digimon experiments." Why on earth was she revealing her objective so easily?

"Shut up!" Talmon exclaimed, calming his breathing. RODAF didn't do experiments.

Cocking her head to the side, she asked, "You do know that they're infecting Digimon and using those infected Digimon to wipe out all other inhabitants of the Digital World, right?" Looking at him, her eyes softened at the corners. She had to only be around thirty or forty. "Digimon just like you."

Talmon thrust her against the bookcase again, knocking off a snow globe, which shattered and squirted out sticky liquid over the carpet, turning it darker.

Grunting, she smirked. "You didn't know." Looking up and away, she teased, "I wonder what else they don't tell you."

"Because it's not true," Talmon said, growling. This woman's lies had gone on long enough. He would take her down the hall and start the interrogation.

"Talmon?" Rori asked, walking in slowly. She looked around. "Who's that?" Rori deftly withdrew and extended a metal pole in one swift movement. "Should I go get help?"

"It's okay." The woman smiled, her hand slipped out a gap in Talmon's dragon and she waved it at them. "It's time for me to go anyway." Holding up a strange object in her free hand, she pointed it at the computer. "Bye!" In a blue flash, the computer sucked her in and Talmon's dragon crashed into itself and then dissipated.

"Who was that?" Rori asked, looking around cautiously before putting her pole away.

"No idea," Talmon muttered. Walking behind the desk, he looked at the computer screen but it was blank. Not a single item on the desktop. "And she didn't leave anything behind," he muttered pensively.

"Have you seen Aleena?" Rori rested her shoulder against the door, kicking her legs out to the side. "I was hoping to talk before we go away on missions again." She pouted.

"What about?" Talmon looked up from the computer. There was nothing he could do with it now.

Rori shrugged. "Nothing really, I just heard she was an orphan."

Talmon became steely. How did Rori know this? He had to protect Aleena at all costs. "And if she is?"

Rori smiled. "I am too. So it's something in common, see!" She beamed. "And I bet she'll like me more if we have things in common." Rori bounced up. "Tally Wally, you'll tell her for me, won't you?"

"You really aren't used to people not liking you, are you?" Talmon said, walking around the desk and then leaping up, sitting on the hard wooden desk so he could watch her.

"I guess not." She slumped back against the metal door. "I had a happy childhood. Mum and dad were great! We always had lots of love for each other; and nature, of course." Figures it started with her parents.

Remembering his talk with Orchidemon last night, he asked, "Is that when you met Orchidemon? When you were out in nature with your mum?"

Rori nodded. "Yeah, kind of. My mum wasn't there anymore." Rori looked down, her eyelids fluttering. That façade of happiness slipped for just a moment before she looked back up, grinning. "I found an egg, which I thought a mother bird had lost so I looked after it until it hatched. I hadn't expected Orchidemon but I'm so glad it was her."

Talmon smirked. She was so simple. "I see." He hopped down from the desk and stretched. "Well, I best be off.

"Are you going to see Aleena?" Rori asked as he walked towards the door.

"No," he lied, stopping in front of her. "Just back to bed."

Rori nodded and stepped aside from the door, allowing him out. "Bye Tally Bear!"

As he walked down the hall, he heard her speak once more.

"Remember, Rori, kindness is key."

Talmon felt a twang of pain as he heard those words. Maybe he could talk to Aleena for her. But maybe Rori didn't actually want that, was it not better to earn someone's respect than have it given for free?

~.~.~

"Hey, Professor!" Aleena called, walking through the narrow hallway into his laboratory. "I know you're in here!" She looked around, from the end of the hallway, but there was no one around. "I wanna talk!"

Simyan dropped down in front of her abruptly, flicking a pen and pad of paper from his feet to his hands as he landed. He raised a furry eyebrow. "Yes?"

Aleena was a little stunned, but she still had to know. "What is it about Taran that is so special? I've not been on a retrieval mission since I was a Rookie." Crossing her arms, she furrowed her brow. Being treated like a newbie was humiliating. "And suddenly, I'm going after a stupid eight-year-old?"

Simyan laughed. "Ah, yes." He tore off the first page of his pad, folding it up neatly and slipping it into one of his lab coat pockets. It appeared to be covered both sides in diagrams and writing. "Come in."

Purposefully, he walked into his laboratory with his arms clasped behind his back. "Screen Summon." He flicked his fingers at two screens as he descended the four steps to the lower area of his lab. With a quick spin, he sat down on his computer chair and the two screens stopped either side of him.

Aleena followed cautiously. He seemed very serious all of a sudden. "Well?"

Simyan slid backwards on his chair and flicked a switch on the long black work table in the middle of the lower area. A white chair popped up from the blue tiled floor facing him, just ahead of Aleena. "Take a seat." He flicked open a pizza box on the table, which was situated on top of a mountain of papers. Snatching the last slice, which was obviously cold, he began to chew on it.

Aleena slumped down and folded her arms. "Look, I just wanted to be told. This is taking forever. Either tell me or I'm going."

Simyan nodded, swallowing the rest of the pizza in one go. "As can be expected." One of the screens moved to his side and he turned to it. Holding out his fingers, he waited for the holographic blue keyboard to be projected before he started tapping away and the screen came to life. "You are aware of how a Reprieve works, Aleena?"

"Sorta."

"Excellent. A human is bonded with their Digimon partner in exceptional circumstances. These circumstances included a few consistent factors." Simyan held up a furry finger with one hand and continued typing with the other at a rapid pace. "One, a Reprieve has only ever been known to occur in a Solstice." Holding up another, he continued, "Two, almost exclusively the Digimon reprieved, or summoned as a false image, is not the human's Digimon partner." Holding up a final finger, he said, "And lastly, the Digimon Reprieved is rarely above Champion level."

"Yeah, yeah," Aleena said. She'd sat through several boring lessons on this crap. "Now, tell me about Taran."

"One minute," Simyan chided. "I just want to add that a reprieve outside of the Solstice has become more common as of late, and I'm currently investigating other factors."

Aleena rolled her eyes. "I don't care."

Simyan sighed heavily. "You'll never change." He moved the screen, now done typing, and showed her it. "Taran's Reprieve was above the level of Mega. It was a Jogress level Digimon. Strictly speaking, Jogress is not higher per say, nor was this a real Jogress because it was summoned in this form and not via joining two Digimon…"

Aleena zoned out as Simyan continued to drone on about the intricacies of Digimon levels, types and attributes. It was a lecture she could do without. She thought about cake, a delicious treat that they were rarely allowed in Home Base. A mountain of cake. It was definitely her favourite food. Especially when it had a buttercream filling.

"Aleena."

She snapped her head up from the doze she was in, looking at him attentively. "Yeah?"

"I've finished with the lecture. You can listen again now, in fact, if I'm going to talk to you I'd prefer your active attention." Simyan pushed back the first screen and it flew over to the wall.

Aleena heavily sighed. "Fine."

"Very well." Simyan held out a finger and as the keyboard was summoned on the other screen, he hit a key to bring the screen to life and show a video. "It's grainy, but in essence…"

Aleena watched that huge Digimon fire off an energy blast, blowing up a huge chunk of the city. "It was the strongest Reprieve ever, right?"

"It exceeded the data we currently have, yes." Simyan paused, his eyes judging Aleena closely. "But that doesn't mean that Taran is anything to fear. He is, as you say, an eight-year-old boy who does not currently have access to his partner."

"Will his partner become that strong one day?" Aleena asked and then the footage abruptly shut off and the screen flew away.

"Potential is the hardest thing to judge. An orphan who was not far from jail can become a leading operative of a government agency in a few months." He was talking about her, and she wasn't sure if he was trying to annoy her or trying to confuse her about what she was asking. "Anything is possible."

Phrasing her next question was a lot harder than she thought it would be. "Why is he—? Why's it so hard to—?" Aleena growled in frustration. Screwing her face up, she threw her body back into the chair and hung her arms and legs limp.

"Why are you finding it difficult to dislike him like you do with the majority of people you meet?" Simyan smirked. "Instead of throwing a tantrum, just articulate."

"Don't say stupid words, just tell me what I want to know," Aleena demanded, sitting back up.

Simyan sighed. "A pure light draws shadows to it, they're attracted to something so different, and, while they may never become light themselves, they can change, becoming brighter within them self. For some, this is a subconscious desire—something they don't even realise is lurking inside."

Aleena rubbed her head. This was hard to digest. "I just mean that I feel like I have to protect him. What is it?"

Simyan shrugged. "Psychology tells us that it's beneficial to protect the next generation so they become strong and further the species."

Aleena nodded. "So, when I make him strong I'll be able to forget about him?"

Simyan frowned, furrowing his brow. "I don't think it's quite that simple. There are many factors—"

Aleena stood up, rushing back out. "Thanks, Professor."

"We'll talk later, I presume!" He called after her. She heard him tear open a bag of crisps and begin to munch. "Don't be a stranger!"

As she walked out, and back towards the elevator up, she thought about it. The lift dinged and the doors slid open. Walking inside, she leant against the metal railing at the back. Taran was special, this was true. And according to Simyan, she couldn't get rid of her feeling that she had to be there for him. So, for now, she would do her best to make him stronger. The doors shuddered shut and the lift began to ascend with a loud whirring as the dim lights overhead pulsed tiredly. If he hadn't jabbered on so long, she could have asked about how he knew she would need the Mega Spark. Well, there was always another day.

~.~.~

"You're special too, Aleena." Simyan said, after hearing the lift move away from the comfort of his chair. A screen flew over to him and, by tapping a few keys, he brought up a surveillance feed of the lift. "More special than you or I know." He pulled up her file on his computer and began to add information under family history, which he had been researching prior to her interrupting. Strangely, it wasn't as empty as RODAF would have her believed. However, it had taken some digging.

 _Buzz Buzz!_

Quickly, Simyan withdrew his mobile phone and answered it. "Matt, have you come around?"

"I need you to send me another batch of files." Simyan sighed and tapped away on his computer, finding the folder of files about RODAF Matt had requested. "You told me before you were now collecting the files by yourself?" Simyan dragged the folder onto an email and an unknown address popped up by itself. It was a program forced onto his system which utilised a different email address each time that he had allowed, although presumably Matt hadn't realised that Simyan could have deleted the sorry excuse for a hack long ago. "What, exactly, are you doing with all this information? Are you just stockpiling it?"

Matt coughed loudly, quickly turning into hacking and choking before he finally came back to the phone. "You could say that." The phone line went dead abruptly as Matt began to cough again.

It was true that by Simyan's estimations Matt must be around six-hundred years old, and yet he was still rumoured to have blond hair from old surveillance videos and Taran's description. His exact methods of evading old age were more than just a tip for society, they held a greater mystery. The mystery behind their disappearance.

* * *

 **So Alice is not only strong, she's the strongest? Thank god Alice is on RODAF's side, or is she? And who is this Alice person?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	7. Chapter Six: The Odd Couple

Leon watched Alice leap off ahead of him; she landed gracefully on the ground and then dropped her black bag to the ground.

He climbed out after her, Oobmon floating by his side. "What you doing?"

Alice withdrew a manila folder from her bag and handed it to him. Immediately after, she withdrew a short blade from the bag and attached it to the small of her back as well as four sacks that jingled like bells. Each sack was hung around her waist, two on her front and one on either hip. The bandages around her ruffled in the windy weather, which was blowing about the tassels on his hat, while her black attire allowed her to blend into the darkness that surrounded them.

Leon opened the folder as Alice withdrew a rifle and tossed her empty bag into the plane. They were to eliminate everyone in this sect of Parricidium before dawn broke. Parricidium was the most powerful resistance to RODAF. It was imagined that they had close to around one hundred million members, excluding the sympathisers who were considered no better. The three hundred or so inside this underground complex were but a drop in the ocean. Leon placed the folder back onto the plane and then it took off, blowing him forwards a few steps. A cool breeze trickled across the back of his neck, making the hairs stand on end.

"Still sure you want to continue on the path of joining the Assassination squad?" Alice asked, checking the iron sights of the rifle before slinging it over her shoulder by the leather thong that stretched from the barrel to the base.

"It pays better, right?" Leon said, thinking about the cost of the treatments he still had to pay for. He zipped up his white hoodie and then rubbed his hands across the blue sleeves. Usually, cold didn't bother him but tonight was especially chilly due to the wind.

Alice eyed him slowly, her green eyes analysed him as if they were camera lenses. "Indeed." She turned and looked out towards the small town ahead. "Stay close."

Leon nodded and looked at Oobmon. "You alright?" he whispered.

"Mhm." Oobmon floated close to Leon. "The dark is a bit scary though."

Alice bolted forwards into the town, leaving Leon behind in the dust she kicked up from the cobbled streets.

Luckily, Leon was no slouch and chased after her. Intel had told them that the entrance to the underground area was in town hall. Which, suspiciously, still had lights on even though it was near midnight. Even the streetlights had been turned off, and not a single house had their lights on.

Alice stopped at the big wooden doors and leant against the wall next to them, peering through the crack near the hinge.

Leon stopped next to her. "What's up?"

"Here's your chance to prove yourself." Alice looked at him, her expression—though hidden by the mask of bandages—had shifted to a more serious one. "Kill everyone inside."

Leon looked down at Oobmon and then back at Alice. "All of them?" He bit his lip, this was a big step—taking so many lives.

"Hesitation leads to death. Watch and learn." Alice swiftly moved to the doors, grabbing the iron handles that protruded from them. With a sharp yank, she unleashed the light from inside, spreading it out into the town.

Alarmed eyes turned to them but no one moved. Even their breathing was muted. They looked back at the man at the front, in his lavish mayoral jewellery, pretending not to have noticed. Alice whispered, "Close the door behind you." Purposefully, she walked up the aisle, towards the mayor, without a word. Stopping at the front, she withdrew her blade in a flash and brought it to the mayor's neck. "Where is the entrance?"

Not a single person in the room answered. No one even moved a muscle.

Leon shoved the doors closed with a boom that made his chest reverberate and then there was a flurry of movement on the stone flag flooring.

Everyone leapt up from their seats, withdrawing guns, bats and brooms. It was like a switch had been flicked on in them. A gun flew into Leon's face. Was he really going to die here? No, he couldn't. But the fear had paralysed him as the finger attached to the gun squeezed the trigger.

"Naughty." Alice appeared behind the man who was aiming at Leon and slit his throat. Simultaneously, his gun, and all the others in the room, flew into the air. "I won't save you a second time." She back flipped into the air, shooting the rifle twice and then he lost sight of her.

Leon exhaled, feeling relief as the bullet that had been intended to go between his eyes floated in the warm air above his head. Candlelight to his right flickered as everyone flurried about like snowflakes in a blizzard in an attempt to kill Alice.

Alice ducked under a bat, doubling over on herself. She slipped backwards, coming behind the person and dragging the arm that held the bat with her. Twirling the person around, she used them to block a hit from a broom and then sliced their neck. Swiftly, she sliced the neck of the broom holder and leapt onto a bat as it was swung, using it to throw herself across the room at gaggle of angry townspeople. In barely a second, all of their bodies crumpled to the ground, blood spurting out.

Leon was immobilized by the carnage. This would be expected of him if he took this role? Killing these innocent people, guilty of no crime other than believing in a cause. He felt physically sick as Alice mutilated body after body.

A fist flew into his face, knocking him backwards into the doors.

Leon slumped down, trying to work out what had happened. He shook his head as Oobmon shouted at him.

"Leon, get up!" Oobmon flew at someone who was aiming a gun at Leon, knocking the old man into a wall and then flew off to fight others.

"You're disgusting!" A middle aged man brought a knife up above Leon's head and then swung it down. The light glanced off the weapon, almost blinding him.

He wasn't prepared to die here. Gripping the wrist that had the knife, he squeezed until the brunet dropped it and then punched him twice in the face before letting go.

On his knees, the man spat out blood. "Why can't you just let us live in peace!?" A chain flew around his neck and he was dragged down the aisle rapidly, choking for air.

Alice held the other end of the chain and swung him around, launching him into a wall where the chain warped and spread out, becoming a mess of spikes to turn his body into an unrecognizable mangled mess in an instant. "Finish the job or don't start it." She slowly walked towards the mayor and now Leon could see that the fifty, maybe a hundred people, were all dead on the ground. The guns and bullets—which had been fired at them—that were hovering in the air clattered to the ground like killer raindrops.

"You okay, Leon?" Oobmon flew over, nudging him, but Leon was too awestruck to say anything.

Alice stopped in front of the quivering old man, spinning her blade idly in her right hand. "Should I ask you where the entrance is or just kill you and find it myself?"

The mayor opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Alice rammed the end of her rifle into it.

"I made my decision." The rifle went off and Leon felt dizzy as he saw the remnants of a head splattered over the wooden table behind the headless body, that had a bounty of fruit and vegetables on.

Alice turned back to Leon. "If you hold me back again, I'll have you sent home. These were just the sympathisers. The members will kill you in an instant and will likely have Digimon partners." She held out her bloody blade. "Take this."

Leon slowly walked forwards, careful not to step on the fallen bodies. He could see Oobmon quivering at his side but didn't dare say anything. Shakily, he took the knife.

Alice slapped him, leaving his cheek hot. "Sort. Yourself. Out." She flicked her finger and the table, complete with foodstuffs, flew at the wall, a metal trapdoor lifting to reveal a staircase. "You're a RODAF field agent. Not an ordinary child. Act like it." She left quickly, her footsteps echoing on the stone steps.

Alice was right. He had to do this for his family. There was no other way. Even if it meant taking a life, he would be able to save the one that mattered to him.

"Leon?" Oobmon mumbled.

"Yeah, buddy?" Leon looked down at the little white orb.

"I don't want to kill people." Oobmon shivered. "Do I have to?"

Leon shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You just keep the Digimon away and I'll deal with the people." He looked down at the knife and then gripped it. "I promise."

As he got down to the bottom of the steps, people ran towards him, screaming. Leon grabbed his knife, getting ready.

"Run, it's _her_! It's the only way!" A blonde woman screamed as she reached Leon. She hadn't seen him yet so maybe he could do a surprise attack. A blade flew into her back, poking out of her abdomen, and she gasped, looking down at it. Tears ran down her face. "I don't want to—" The knife burrowed straight through and flew back through her head like a demented boomerang. She slumped onto the ground, joining the few bodies that were already in the metal hallway.

Leon ran down, trying to black it all out and keep focussed. One of these people would kill him without hesitation so he had to be prepared to do the same.

Ahead, Alice pulled a sword free from someone's head and flicked it out to the side, turning it into an almost liquid stream of iron filings. "Why don't you tell me more about your sister?" Alice said, looking over her shoulder.

Leon felt his hands become clammy and his chest tighten. How had she found out? "I…"

"Maybe another time." Alice leapt back and waved her hand out in front, opening up her palm to change the iron into a shield. In front of them, the door blew off its hinges, a wave of fire and smoke pouring out. As soon as it faded, Alice flicked her hand downwards and then thrust it forwards, changing the iron shield into a spear which flew down the barrel of the bazooka that was facing them. "Let's step in here." Alice opened a door and took Leon with her with a sharp tug.

The room shook as she closed the door and Alice moved to grab the handle.

"What _are_ you?" Leon asked, grabbing her wrist.

"You could say I'm human. And you'd be half right." Alice pulled her hand free and tugged the door open. "You could also say that anyone who touches me has a death wish."

Leon gulped. She was terrifying. Like a force of nature greater than any other.

Alice flew off down the hallway, her footprints scarcely making a sound as she sprinted.

Groaning, Leon tried to run after her but Oobmon flew in front. He had almost forgotten about his partner.

"Please don't become like her." Oobmon shivered. "It gives me the heebie jeebies."

Leon cuddled his partner, pulling him close. "Don't worry about it, Oobmon. No matter what, I won't let anything happen to you."

"That's not answering me!" Oobmon shook free from the grip. "Promise me."

Leon hesitated. Did he have a choice? Yes. Yes, he did. "I promise."

"Then Digivolve me." Oobmon nodded.

"Got it." Leon held out a Champion Spark, a small yellow pill, which was eaten by Oobmon and then ran after Alice.

As he ran through room after room, and hallway after hallway, he was accompanied by Digieggs and dead or dying people. It was as if the Grim Reaper himself had swept through the building. Up ahead, strangely enough, he spotted Alice with a scythe.

"Glad to see you caught up." Alice spun the scythe around her body, bisecting two Palmon that leapt up at her. The plant Digimon fell to the floor and reformed into Digieggs. She leapt through the air, holding the Scythe high above her head as she flew at the humans, presumably the partners of the Palmon, that were intently staring at strange objects in their hands.

"We didn't even have chance to Digivolve!" A red-haired man yelled.

"It's true what they say about her," The other said, his voice quivering as Alice brought her scythe down the middle of them. He pointed his gun at her but in one swift motion, Alice brought the Scythe around his neck and tugged, beheading him and then the red-haired man on the back swing. Twirling the Scythe, she transformed it back into iron filings and panted.

Leon ran up, seeing her visibly exhausted. "Maybe I can help."

" _No one will ever sacrifice themselves for my sake again_." Alice spat out a glob of phlegm and looked up at him, her eyes burning into his very soul. "Got it?" Standing up straight she looked ahead at the big circular doors. Breathing heavily, she announced, "Iris scanner as well as a key card and thumbprint recognition." She looked at him, her eyes scanning him up and down. "They've gathered up ahead, you know? I can feel the movement of large Digimon across the metal." She was truly something else, being able to effectively see elsewhere. Maybe she was really only half human. But what was the other half? Cyborg? "Don't hesitate." She walked towards the doors. "Not even for a second."

Knocking on the door with three loud echoing thumps, she called out, "Knock, knock." She looked up at the iris scanner, which flashed red as it saw her eye. "Wrong answer." She leapt back as ArOobmon flew up behind Leon.

"What's she doing?" ArOobmon whispered. His body had stretched, becoming humanoid, but it had retained its glowing ethereal nature. Silver armour covered his body and a large mechanical metal bow was in his hand.

Alice held out both hands, scrunching her fists down. Even through her clothes and the bandages, Leon saw her arm and back muscles ripple, expanding and throbbing as she tensed. The door ahead began to warp and creak, the edges bending inwards slightly. And then, as the hinges broke off, the door collapsed in on itself to form a large metal ball. Alice thrust her fist forwards, leaping after the ball as it flew into a crowd of people and Digimon. "You were meant to say 'Who's there?'."

Leon and ArOobmon charged in after her but she was already in full swing, with Digieggs and dismembered bodies flying about.

A Birdramon swooped down with a person on its back. They aimed at him with a shotgun; a primitive weapon, from hundreds of years ago, but civilian weaponry hadn't come far since the wars.

"Oobmon!" Leon darted forwards, slicing the end off of someone's rifle and booting them backwards as it exploded in their face.

ArOobmon nodded. "Piercing Arrow!" He held out the bow and drew back the string. In the space where an arrow would normally be slotted, a green and blue mass of energy appeared, shaping immediately into an arrow. As ArOobmon released the arrow, it flew towards Birdramon.

The bird Digimon flew up but the arrow still grazed its belly, tearing the orange underbelly open and releasing streams of data as Birdramon crashed to the ground and reformed into a Digiegg.

Leon ran over to the man as he leapt off, brandishing his knife.

ArOobmon intervened, picking up the man and looking at him.

With a bang, the shotgun went off, but the shell fragments fell to the floor, having had no effect on ArOobmon.

ArOobmon arched his arm back and threw the man across the room, making him hit the opposite wall with a sickening crunch.

A Greymon in his periphery was charging. He couldn't hesitate. "Dodge!"

"Mega Flame!" The flames poured out, the heat almost unbearable.

Leon leapt to the side and ducked under a fist launched by Centaurumon. Leaping onto the horse Digimon's back, he dug the knife into its neck and tugged hard, releasing a stream of data from its hairy neck. So this was also a Data Destruction Blade? Simyan had really kitted Alice out. If it had been an ordinary blade, then it would barely have made a dent in the Digimon's body. Flipping to his feet, he stood on Centaurumon's back as Greymon turned to face him.

One of ArOobmon's arrows flew through Greymon's side, unleashing a stream of data orbs, which quickly reformed into a Digiegg.

Behind him! Leon flipped into the air, avoiding a Growlmon's claw. As he revolved in the air, he launched the blade, impaling Growlmon in the head. Landing on the ground, he walked towards Growlmon as the latter's red lizard body slumped to the ground and with a sharp tug, he withdrew the blade and looked around. Even though they had only managed to fight a few opponents, Alice had nearly wiped out the rest of the room of two hundred or so people by herself.

Alice tossed a female body to the ground and then slowly walked towards a man who was stood at the back of the room. "Last one left. You'll put up a fight, I presume?"

He laughed, loudly and heartily. The twenty-something had a bushy beard and tousled brown hair. His chiselled good looks and physique definitely didn't fit with such underhand work. In fact, he would definitely be more at home in a model agency. His deep voice caused a pang of jealousy for Leon. Would his voice ever break like that? "I was chosen, not once, but twice." In a flash of light, two Digimon appeared, one either side of him.

On his right was a bipedal lion, who looked as if it had been left out in the cold too long with white skin and fur. It wore black leather trousers and carried a short sword. On his left was a giant red bug with blue claws and a terrifying mouth of teeth.

"IceLeomon and MegaKabuterimon?" Alice took a few steps backwards. "Leon, I'm going to trust you and ArOobmon to take care of MegaKabuterimon. He's an Ultimate, so be careful." Alice tugged the strings on all four pouches holding the iron filings on her waist and her whole body shifted to a more serious stance.

"You really think you'll be able to fight them and me?" He snorted. "I'll show you why you should fear Parricidium!" He turned his head to MegaKabuterimon and jerked it forwards. Grabbing an object on his waist, he flicked it and a blue light erupted, forming a slim cylinder. A Laser Sabre.

"Horn Buster!" On the tip of the large double pronged horn protruding from the red bug's head, a ball of electricity formed and then fired forwards at them.

"All yours." Alice leapt into the air, allowing the blast to continue towards Leon.

"Oobmon!" Leon managed to blurt, diving to the side.

ArOobmon barely managed to muster a defence before he was hurled out into the hallway.

"Oobmon!" Leon yelled, running after his partner.

MegaKabuterimon flew after them, its herculean body a menacing sight to behold.

"Get rid of its movement," Leon said. He looked down at the sword Alice had gave him and gripped it tightly. "I'll deal with the rest."

ArOobmon pushed himself onto his knees and grabbed the bow, aiming carefully. In a flash, he fired the arrow, almost hitting Leon. It impaled one of MegaKabuterimon's wings, spinning the bug Digimon into a spiral. In a flash, he fired another as MegaKabuterimon was a few meters away, blowing a hole in the other wing.

MegaKabuterimon crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop in front of them and roared. "Electro Shocker!" It tossed a ball of electricity from two of its four hands, sending the homing attacks towards each of them.

"I got it!" ArOobmon wrapped himself around Leon.

Looking up, Leon saw ArOobmon wince in pain as both the attacks hit him. He felt awful for putting his partner in positions like this but they had no choice. Turning down Kayran would only anger the man, to top of the list of other reasons to take the promotion. "Just keep going!" Leon urged, touching his partner's warm arm through a gap in the armour.

ArOobmon nodded, getting up and charged at MegaKabuterimon, knocking the other Digimon back into the room.

MegaKabuterimon easily overpowered the other Digimon, launching him into the air as IceLeomon was blown to pieces by an invisible attack. His data spread outwards, floating for a moment before rushing inwards and forming a Digiegg.

Leon ran in and dived for one of its legs. If he could take this out, then that left only one leg left. He swiped with the sword but MegaKabuterimon effortlessly kicked him away like a bug. How ironic.

Two arrows flew from ArOobmon's direction, impaling both legs as Leon struggled to his feet.

MegaKabuterimon used two of its four arms, pushing up and away as ArOobmon leapt at it.

As it sailed through the air, Leon charged towards where it would land. "Now, target practice!"

"Rapid Fire!" ArOobmon quickly loaded and unloaded arrow after arrow, with little care for aim. They blasted various parts of MegaKabuterimon's huge body, and other areas besides, until the bug Digimon hit the ground with a defeated thud.

But it wasn't over yet. MegaKabuterimon's horns began to glow. "Horn—"

Leon slipped the Data Destruction Blade in between its horns and twisted before finally dragging it down the hard exoskeleton with all of the might he could muster. Data flew outwards, greater than any amount he had seen before. It blew him backwards, like a powerful wind as he heard Alice and the man clash again and again.

Mid-air, Alice Struck his back with her palm, brought her feet into his lower back and grabbed the arm he was using the Laser Saber with. He landed on the floor, defeated as she pried the Saber from his hand, twisting his arm violently in the process.

He screamed on the floor in pain. "I'll never tell you anything!"

Alice chuckled. "I didn't ask any questions. So, can we skip to me killing you?"

"Wait, but!"

Alice's pager buzzed. Sighing, she tossed the Laser Saber away, cutting the ground nearby in the process, and checked it. "Looks like you got lucky." Alice tugged harshly, wrenching the arm from its socket and stepping across his body as she headed towards Leon. Behind her, he roared in agony, rolling around on the ground and gripping his arm.

Leon brushed down his tight-fitting blue trousers. "What's up?"

Alice held out her pager. "Turns out that we have to leave now and anyone still alive is to be left that way." She turned back to him, her voice cool as ice, "If you try anything on the way out, though, I won't hesitate to disobey this order."

"That's strange timing," Leon commented. He shrugged. "You okay, Oobmon?"

The Digimon nodded as orbs flew off him and he turned back into his Rookie form. "Let's go home and cuddle!"

Alice muttered, reading the pager again and looking at the man and then the cameras around the room. "Strange timing indeed."

~.~.~

"You should go see the kid, you know?" Conan said, slumped against Aleena's doorframe.

Aleena looked up from the book in her hands. It was a child's history book about The Valiant War. "Why?"

Conan resisted commenting on the book, he knew already that her schooling had been almost non-existent. The fact she could read even a little was amazing. "He'll be scared. It'll be good to see a familiar face."

Aleena glanced at Talmon, who was sleeping at the end of her bed. "If I have to." She sighed, tossing the book onto the floor.

* * *

 **It's a bit rough, but I wanted to get it out today as I'm busy this weekend.**

 **People can have two Digimon? Damn yeah, I love Willis! Will Leon join the assassination squad? That timing was strange indeed.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	8. Chapter Seven: Hold on Tight

He felt warmth touch his face and the light slip between his eyelids. Slowly opening them, Taran hoped that everything that had happened was all just a dream. His vision was hazy while he gathered his senses, but he quickly saw that he was in a hospital ward.

Suddenly, pain erupted from the wounds that he had dreamt about. He looked down at his chest and saw the scars and bruises all over his body. There were some wires and needles still penetrating his skin but there were considerably less than before. The sticky pads that had made his skin burn were now on his temples and he wanted them off. He turned his head slowly to the side, trying to get enough energy to escape, but he saw a familiar face. It was that green haired girl; she was the one who had smashed into his house on Christmas Eve.

His head felt like a pinball machine. The pain reverberated through his skull as he remembered that she'd broken into his house with that weird rabbit thing and kidnapped him.

Her gaze rested firmly on him and she smiled, her green eyes creasing at the corners.

He tried to sit up and move away from her but found he couldn't move. Panicking, he assumed she had paralysed him but he looked down to see that he had been restrained to the bed. He wriggled meekly, trying to break himself free, but when he moved about she moved her chair closer to his bedside, eyes still on him.

Taran decided to scream for help but she seemed to know what he was going to do and smiled kindly. "Calm down," she soothed. "Or you'll hurt yourself again." She moved her fingers over his largest wound, causing him to flinch. It was on his right hip bone and a couple of inches long. He could remember that that was where a large needle had been, but it was still in him, now north of the scar. The stitches in the scar hurt a fair bit but he was too afraid to ask to get them removed. "Probably won't even scar," she muttered, pulling one of the stitches slightly.

He recoiled, wincing in pain and opening his mouth to scream but, as he did, she clamped her hand over his mouth before he could do anything else. His plea for help was muffled.

"I'm Aleena." She brushed a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "And _you_ are Taran." She loosened her grip on his mouth slightly. "So, now that we know each other, how about you chill out and then I explain things?" Removing her hand slowly, she leaned back.

He looked about rapidly, for some way to escape. There had to be a way out. This couldn't be real; he was going to wake up and be at home with his family and everything would be okay. He tested the wrist restraint again.

"Calm down," Aleena hissed, moving her head close to his. He opened his mouth to scream again but her hand was there before he succeeded. She sighed, keeping her head close to his. "Hey, look, I'll take my hand off your mouth in three seconds."

He looked at her, perplexed. Why would she do this?

"I'll only do it if you promise not to yell. If you do, you'll be put to sleep again." She moved her head slightly away from him. "Can you do that for me, Taran?"

She seemed to be warm and friendly but he didn't trust her and he just wanted to escape. He looked around one last time, praying there would be someone to save him, but he realised there was no better option so he turned back to her, reluctantly moving his head slowly up and down in response.

She grinned. "Good, Taran," she said happily. "Three, two, one." Her hand moved from his mouth slowly and cautiously at first but he knew better than to try anything. Although the thought of biting her played in his mind for a while he quickly reminded himself he was tied down and couldn't do anything after that. She slowly placed her hand on her lap in a relaxed manner. "Good boy," she mused, seeming almost proud of herself.

He smiled meekly but didn't dare speak.

"I'll explain now. You're here 'cause we saw you're a special person," she said, in a childlike manner that irritated him slightly. He was _eight_ after all. "At the moment we're running tests to check your level of _specialness_. They've got to check all your insides to do this so just wait a bit."

He realised by her word choice that she didn't have too much of an idea about what was going on but the explanation made him feel a little at ease. Any comfort was better than no comfort. Staring at her for a while, he found himself unable to believe the situation he was in. He'd been kidnapped but it almost seemed official and within the law. Looking up, he realised that she was waiting for him to respond and nodded, garnering a smile of appreciation.

"This means you have to stay still for a little while for me, Taran. I'll keep you company, I promise," she said, with a tone laced with false sugar. He could tell she wasn't sincere about how sweet she was but there was nothing he could do to work out her true intentions.

Nodding, a little more confidently, he managed to smile.

"I'm going to ignore the doctor and remove these straps but you still can't move, okay?" she said, reaching over.

"I—" he paused as he realised he could speak again. He half expected her to stop him but her eyes were locked on him curiously. "I think I understand," he muttered. His throat was incredibly dry, which made it hard to say much.

"Good." Standing up, she removed the straps. She watched him for a second and then sat back down on the chair. Clearly, she didn't trust him yet.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, stretching. Wiggling his fingers and toes, he tried to get used to the new found freedom. His wrists hurt so he rubbed them but when he moved his arm, pain erupted from it, causing him to wince and let it flop down.

She giggled and it caused him to blush. "You're gonna want to avoid doing that."

He pouted. She was treating him like a baby.

The sound of doors swinging open made him jump, but Aleena seemed unbothered. A burst of fresh air wafted in and made him feel happy, but he was more interested to see who had just come in.

"I never knew you were this nice," a male voice announced.

Taran recognised the voice but didn't dare move to check. As the boy walked over, Taran saw it was the other guy who had been part of the monster fight in his house—Leon.

The older boy walked straight past his bed and jumped onto the vacant bed on the other side. He bounced up and down with a silly grin on his face as Taran watched him. The pain from earlier made the spectacle less humorous but the boy's glistening blue eyes captured his attention.

"Leon," Aleena said, sighing, causing Taran to jump. He had forgotten she was there. "What you doing here?"

"I'm just chilling," he replied, feigning an innocent face. "And annoying you, of course." Leon smirked and stopped bouncing, landing on the bed horizontally. He grabbed a pillow from behind his head and launched it at Aleena.

It struck her in the face and caused her to fall back on the chair slightly.

Leon erupted into raucous laughter and Taran smiled. It was kind of funny. His smile slipped away as he turned to see Aleena clench her fists.

She grabbed the pillow and hurled it back, knocking Leon off the bed with a thud as he hit the floor.

A nurse glanced over and Taran flinched as he remembered the earlier incident. "Be careful, please, we have other patients, too," she chided, her eyes barely open as she wiped—presumably—somebody else's sick from her uniform exhaustedly.

"Whatever," Aleena grumbled.

Leon got back onto the bed and sat still until the nurse nodded and walked off. Once she was gone, his laughing resounded again, and he rolled around on his back, howling with laughter. Tears streamed out of his eyes. Aleena's expression, meanwhile, was unchangingly furious. Taran could do nothing but watch until Leon eventually found a way to calm down and realised that she hadn't shared his sentiment. The blond boy placed the pillow to the side of him carefully and quietly, with a guilty look on his face.

"So... what you doing?" he asked.

"Keeping Taran company, _Baby Face_ ," she replied, a smirk appearing across her lips.

The blond scowled, turning red with embarrassment. "Don't call me that!"

"Isn't _my_ fault you look like a super tall five year old kiddie with _far_ too much hair on your head and not much elsewhere." She started laughing at her own joke.

Leon opened his mouth to speak but a sudden beeping began to blare.

Taran wanted to cover his ears but he remembered the earlier pain when he'd moved his arm and stopped himself. He noticed Leon reaching into one of the many pockets on the brown shorts he was wearing.

Aleena picked up a small metal box from her belt loop. She mumbled as she read something on it and Taran looked between the two to try and work out what was going on. They were already weird enough without sending secret messages.

"It's me," Aleena said, which made the blond stop searching with a sigh with relief as the alarm stopped. She turned to Taran and he backed away a little. "Taran, how d'you feel about coming on a little trip with me?"

The idea of going on a trip with this psycho both made him both terrified and excited. He might be able to escape but they could be taking him somewhere to kill him. "A trip?" he muttered tentatively.

"You sure you're allowed to do this, Aleena?" Leon asked, interjecting with a snide grin.

"I do what I want. Don't butt in!" she growled.

She faced Taran again and he half-expected her to hit him but she didn't. "It'll be just to a little rainforest. It'll be fun!" She smiled warmly.

Taran thought a moment. He had always wanted to go look at real animals—they were so cute and furry! But that meant trusting this girl. "I- err-" Her eyes were terrifyingly forceful. "...S-Sure." He looked to Leon to see if the boy offered him any hints of what this trip entailed.

"Am I coming?" Leon asked, playing with one of the tassels of his hat like a cat.

"No, you're on a mission to Japan. There's been another outbreak of Pseudo Digimon—how haven't you heard this? Nyx and Ben are coming with me."

All these names meant more strange people and the thought of anyone else pinning him down and sticking things in him terrified Taran.

"They're letting _you three_ look after him?" the blond asked, almost shocked.

Aleena clenched her teeth. "Go away," she growled.

Leon seemed to weigh up his options. "Okay," he said, and he bounced off the bed and ran off, leaving just the two of them.

"I'll go sign your forms," Aleena said, already leaving. "Be right back."

Taran looked around his hospital room one last time. He wanted to escape, but he didn't even know where he was and now she was taking him to a rainforest—apparently—so he would be even further from his family. He sighed, feeling his eyes become scratchy. He missed home.

~.~.~

He'd been given a brown t-shirt, black trousers and a pair of trainers to wear after leaving the hospital and it felt nice to be fully clothed again, but as he walked outside, the cold made his body bristle. The sunlight blinded him momentarily but, as his sight returned, he was shocked by the view.

They were up in the air, on a floating metal island. Actually, in the clouds! The big fluffy clouds! He couldn't believe his eyes that somewhere like this existed. "Wow…"

"It's cool, right?" Aleena bent down next to him, placing her hand on his head.

"Y-Yeah," he stammered. He then realised something. "How we going to a rainforest if we're in the air?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression and she smiled, turning him around to face a big black helicopter.

"We're using that," she said, pointing.

"But we're already in the sky," he protested. This was confusing, why did they need to go up? They were already up!

"Teasing the new kid? That's just bad manners," a male voice taunted.

Taran turned to see a tall guy with long black hair and warm brown eyes like his own.

"So are you like one of those adults who didn't grow—a midget?" His voice was a lot gruffer and scarier than Leon's.

Taran puffed out his chest in frustration. "No!"

"He's just a regular little boy," Aleena said, placing a comforting hand on Taran's shoulder. "Reuben."

"So we're stuck babysitting?" he groaned.

A perky voice came up behind Reuben. "I think he's cute!"

Taran turned to see a girl walking towards them. She made his eyes light up due to her almost carnival style appearance. She had bright pink hair and one of her eyes was pink, with the other bright blue. He wasn't sure how it was possible but her eyes were so sparkly as well. The smile on her face was real and warm, unlike anyone else's so far. It matched the smiling yellow sun on her shirt with black glasses, which made him feel happy; his older sister had one just like it back at home. He paused as he realised that he wasn't at home anymore.

Kneeling down in front of him, she handed him a lollipop. "Take it. It's yummy!" she said, grinning and withdrawing one for herself, placing it into her mouth.

Taran hesitantly took the lollipop. It could be poisonous, he thought. But she was eating one, too, so it must have been okay. Slowly, he put it in his mouth and she smiled broadly.

"He'll slow us down, and then we'll get hurt, and then—" Reuben continued to rant behind them.

Walking past Taran, the lollipop girl moved close to Reuben. "Don't be so silly, cutie," she whispered, withdrawing her lollipop and kissing him on the lips.

Taran stuck out his tongue in disgust. Girls had cooties and he was just letting her kiss him! Her bright yellow and white trainers shone and nearly blinded him as Aleena touched his shoulder, shaking her head.

"Nyx, I said no romance," she stated firmly.

"Don't be so uptight, Aleena. He's my fiancé!" Nyx laughed, waving the ring on her finger. Mummies and daddies had rings! Did that mean she was a mummy? Maybe that was why she was so nice. She was a sharp contrast to Reuben and Aleena, with almost blindingly bright small orange shorts and a matching jacket for their trip to the raining forest. "You'll give yourself wrinkles if you don't stop all that frowning," she added, winking and then laughing.

"I think I already see some coming along," the other male joked. They clearly weren't as afraid of her as Taran was.

Nyx teased her finger across the older boy's chest, sighing. "Your jacket is all over the place, I'll fix it." She pulled the black hooded jacket straight, toying with his low-cut white vest top.

"You just want to touch me," he said, winking.

"Maybe…" she whispered, running her hand up the leg of his jeans and toying with the red loops of fabric that hung down.

"You two get on my nerves," Aleena groaned, looking up at the sky.

"But you love us for it!" Nyx said, turning around and smiling broadly, plopping the lollypop back into her mouth.

Aleena sighed exhaustively. "Come on, Taran, let's get in the helicopter and leave these two to touch each other," she said dismissively, walking towards the helicopter.

Taran looked between the two of them briefly. "It was nice to meet you," he said, stuttering slightly, before rushing after Aleena.

"We're coming with you, silly!" Nyx called, laughing cheerily.

"I've never flown before…" Taran announced nervously, unsure where to put his hands as he sat in the seat.

"That's fine, cutie, we'll explain it all," Nyx promised as she and Reuben walked in and closed the door.

~.~.~

Taran pressed his face against the glass. The view below as they flew was absolutely amazing.

"Remember that drug cartel we finished off here?" Nyx mused. "That was where we found them, do you two remember?" She pointed to somewhere near Taran's gaze.

Taran didn't let it bother him. "It's pretty," he muttered, astounded at what his eyes were seeing.

"I remember how much I worried you two were going to get hurt," Reuben grumbled.

"Taran, come away from the window," Aleena ordered. "We're going undercover from now on."

He reluctantly pulled himself away from the window, slumping into his seat. "Why're we going under the covers? There's no one up here."

"It's not people we're worried about, sweetie," Nyx said, unbuckling his seat belt. Taran gripped onto the seat in fear but Nyx didn't seem to notice. "It's the Digimon who are causing problems down there that we're sorting out." She tied her hair up with a red ribbon but the ends of it seemed to trail down farther than was practical.

Thud! The helicopter shook and Taran was thrown into the wall. His head rang like a bell as he struggled to find his footing.

"Let's strap you back in!" Nyx exclaimed, holding onto Taran with one arm and a cord on the roof with the other.

"It's fine, it was just a loose Pseudo Digimon," Aleena announced, looking out the window. "Looks like Poukaimon."

"Out here? Who lives anywhere near here?" Reuben looked around. "You don't think…"

"It's nothing to worry about," Aleena said firmly.

"What's a Sue… Suedoo Digimon?" Taran asked, keeping hold of Nyx's leg tightly in case it attacked again.

Reuben looked between the two girls and then at Taran. "When a Digidestined's soul makes the link to the Digital World for the first time, it needs to latch on to something—a signal." He clamped his hands together, as if to show a connection. "Usually this is a Champion-level Digimon and not their official partner. This link that forms creates an afterimage of the Digimon here, in our world. Except, it's a little distorted so the Digimon is much bigger and has extra powers and… we're all gonna die."

Nyx patted him on the chest. "I'll take it from here." Kneeling down in front of Taran, she grinned. "It's a temporary manifestation that disappears as soon as the person in question wakes up. You've got nothing to worry about as long as you stick close to us."

Taran was a little terrified and didn't understand all the words, leaving him almost speechless. "Do you promise?"

Nyx laughed. "I promise."

"Nyx. It's time." Aleena pulled on some black gloves and tied her hair back.

"Got it." Nyx stood up and patted Taran on the head. "You just sit tight for a moment, Taran."

Taran sat down and grabbed onto the seat, afraid that thing might attack again.

"Our Digimon are meeting us on the ground," Reuben explained, tying his long hair back into a ponytail.

"You guys have those _thingies_ too?" Taran asked. More of those big scary super powered monsters? Was Aleena's the big green army rabbit? This was terrifying. Were they going to feed him to them?

"Yeah, my little orange girl is called Agumon," Nyx said, smiling warmly. "She's the cutest dinosaur ever," she added, gripping her hands together and swooning.

"My mate is Gabumon, he's super friendly. He's probably the only guy who got on with Aleena the first time he met her," Reuben said, laughing.

Taran didn't hate the green haired girl, she'd always been sort of nice to him and now she'd taken him on a fun trip. Even if it did all seem fake, he couldn't deny she wasn't being mean. "I like Aleena," he protested.

"Don't push your luck, Reu," the female in question warned, patting Taran on the shoulder.

"You wouldn't hurt me, you love me," he said, winking.

Aleena sighed and pulled a loose strand of one of her blue highlights back into the ponytail. "Shut up."

"Ready?" the pilot asked, his voice almost breaking up in the headsets.

"Yeah." Aleena stood up and took off her headset.

Taran looked around, still holding onto the seat tightly. "For what?"

"This, silly," Nyx said, taking off his headset and grabbing his hand. Pulling him free of the seat, she tore open the door of the plane. The sound of tempestuous wind filled his ears for a second before a helmet was pulled onto him and then she leapt out, dragging him with her. He screamed. She was going to kill him!

~.~.~

Aleena looked at Reuben, hearing the screaming and sighed. "She forgot her parachute, didn't she?"

"Yeah…" He held up the bag sheepishly.

"Let's go," she said, sighing as she grabbed the bag and dove out of the helicopter.

"Coming!" Reuben leapt out straight after, swinging the door shut as he left.

~.~.~

Taran flailed his arms about wildly as the wind rushed past him, pulling at his clothes as he tried to make sense of what was going on. He tried to yell for help but the wind stole his words before they left his mouth. Suddenly, he saw someone fly down next to him and slip a bag onto Nyx's back. Whoever it was grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him over to their side. They were going to save themselves with those bags and let him fall! His other hand was grabbed by someone else and the four of them formed a flying human circle.

It was not reassuring at all to be in a pretty pattern for once. He tried to scream in fear but it didn't work. The ground was rushing to meet them and the wind was blistering. He closed his eyes in expectation of death but he felt a mess of straps slip onto him and then he was clipped onto something else. Turning around, he noticed that some green and blue hair was flying about behind him. He looked back to see the other two people pull a string hanging from their bags and they shot up into the air via parachute while he continued to plummet.

He was sure the trees were seconds away and began to try and scramble to save himself but just as he gave up hope, they flew upwards and the air left his lungs.

After a while, they began to descend again, but it was a lot slower this time. "I bet you've never done that before!" Aleena yelled above the wind, which was dying down.

"I," he stammered, unable to find words. "No!" he called, shaking and feeling his heart beat a thousand times a second.

She laughed loudly. "See, it's not all bad to be in RODAF. Nearly there now!"

They were heading towards a rocky outcrop with a waterfall pouring into the lake further below. The sound of animals began to become audible as they neared the forest. When they got closer, birds flew out of the trees and scattered in every direction. He tried to reach for one of the colourful birds, amazed by its beauty. He didn't manage to stroke the cute flying creature and simply looked back down, noticing three other creatures. There was the bunny from before. He thought that it was called Tal and it was Aleena's friend. Next to him was a small orange dinosaur with an oversized head and next to that appeared to be a small blue wolf animal. It was yellow underneath but wore a blue fur coat. As they got lower, he noticed that it wasn't cold here, so he didn't understand why it was wearing a coat but he guessed that one was Gabumon and the former was Agumon due to the descriptions.

"Nyx, Nyx, Nyx!" the orange dinosaur caterwauled excitedly as they got closed to the rock.

"Wait until I land, honey!" the perky girl called back from above.

"You're so slow, Reuben!" Gabumon yelled, in a seemingly happy tone.

"Maybe next time I should use you to cushion my landing instead!" Reuben joked.

Taran felt warm and fuzzy inside as he saw them all getting on. They were probably going to have a party with him to make him feel welcome instead of eating him. He felt Aleena's head rest onto his suddenly and jumped.

"I want you to stay close to me at all times from now on; if I tell you to do something you have to do it right away without any questions."

"But—"

"Even if you think it's a bad idea, okay?"

He looked up at her, arching his head back and saw the seriousness of her expression. "Okay."

"Good boy, I'm going to try land gently but I'm not good at it," she announced, steering with the white cables that swung by her head.

She was right about the rough landing. His feet touched the ground and they continued to move forward, rocking all over as Aleena stamped her feet into the ground. She slipped and they both landed on their bums.

Taran moaned in pain. The parachute engulfed them and everything became a hue of orange.

Aleena growled, pulling it off them quickly to reveal the bright sun. "Every time, every time I say no parachutes and you idiots convince me!" she grumbled, tugging at the straps.

She eventually managed to free them but as Taran turned around, not daring to move from the spot, he saw that both Nyx and Reuben were folding away their parachutes already.

"I'll do yours if you scout the area," Nyx called, dropping her bag onto the ground.

"Alright, I'll leave Taran here, don't leave him alone." She pulled the harness off him and then pulled her own off too. Ruffling his hair, she walked towards the waterfall. "Don't worry, I won't be long, I'm just preparing a fun game," she said as the bunny walked over next to her.

"You'll be fine!" it promised happily.

"We won't be long!" She ran and leapt off the edge of the precipice and the rabbit followed her.

He waited for a while before walking over slowly to the other two.

"You don't need to be scared," the pink haired girl said, smiling warmly and beckoning him over.

"O— Okay," he stammered, walking over to her as the other animals helped Reuben pack away the fabric into his bag.

She patted a spot on the rock she was sat on. "So, do you have a Digimon of your own?"

Taran was a little sad he didn't because they were very cute. He shook his head. "No."

"That's a shame. Maybe you will soon. They're your best friend and they help a lot when you work for RODAF." She looked over at the orange dinosaur affectionately and then back at him. "I'm surprised you cracked ol' Ally so easily. It took me and Reuben a long time to break her shell," she said, continuing to smile. "What's your secret?"

"I don't have one," he muttered, confused. He was a little worried she'd be mad but she didn't seem to be.

"Come on," she teased. "You must have one." She tickled his neck a little and he giggled. How did she know he was ticklish? "Just one little one?"

"I don't know," he promised, trying to keep away from her fingers.

"Well, we'll have to see if it's maybe that smile you're hiding from me." She started tickling him, her fingers probing for every ticklish spot, until he was rolling about and laughing raucously. "There it is—that cheeky little smile!" she exclaimed but suddenly a gunshot resounded and everyone froze.

* * *

 **What is the mission going to entail? What do you think of Nyx and Ben? Who is Taran's Digimon partner? I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	9. Chapter Eight: Teamwork

Nyx turned to Reuben immediately, her mouth gaping.

Reuben looked back. "Don't mess about!" He was such a meanie!

"I— I know," she stammered, regaining control over her body. Leaping to her feet, she closed her eyes. "It came from the way Aleena went…"

"I know already, let's go!" he yelled. "She could be hurt… or worse." Was Aleena okay? Did this mean she was really ill?

Nyx's eyebrows drooped slightly. "Agumon, let's go!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Agumon seemed to grin, her oversized jaw making it look strange.

Nyx knelt down in front of Taran. "Sweetie, stay close to me." She withdrew a rifle, which had been poking out of her backpack, and threw two quivers at Reuben while keeping her eyes focussed on Taran. "Promise?"

"Y— Yeah," Taran said, looking between her and Reuben. He watched as the man pulled a quiver over his shoulder and then caught the other two, hanging them from his belt. Reuben withdrew a bow—which Taran recognised from the Olympics—and put that over his free shoulder.

Nyx gripped onto his hand and pulled him to his feet. She was so strong.

"Where are we going?" What was she going to do with him now?

"Just stay close." She pulled him towards the waterfall.

As they got closer and closer to the edge, Taran realised that the two of them planned to jump off the edge with him. She really was crazy! He tried to pull himself free but her grip was too strong.

Nyx picked him up while running, carrying him on her front. "Don't let go; Keep your arms and legs tucked inside the ride." She kissed him on the forehead, which was kind of comforting, and then leapt off the edge after Reuben and the Digimon.

He was going to die! They were falling so fast and fear made Taran revert to his basic instinct of survival; he tightly gripped onto Nyx's white shirt and wrapped his legs around her, clinging on for dear life. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as the fear swamped him. The pink haired girl smiled at him, calming him for a moment before they crashed into the water.

Water filled his senses. It swarmed around him, battering him as his hearing became distorted. He opened his mouth, bubbles spilling out and water pouring in as he clenched his eyes shut in terror. They burst to the surface and Nyx began to tread water, staying stationary as she watched him cough and splutter. It felt awful as he coughed. Water fell out of his mouth and tears ran down his face, but after a little while he managed to calm down.

"Can you swim, sweetie?" asked Nyx. She moved some of his chestnut curls out of his eyes.

"N- No," he whispered, shivering as the cold bite of the water began to set in.

Nyx laughed a little, making him feel embarrassed. "It's okay, don't feel upset," she soothed, stroking his head with one hand. It felt really nice and calming. "I'll carry you out. Just make sure you hold on tightly." Slowly, she swam over to the side.

When they got out, Reuben and Gabumon were long gone, but Agumon was waiting patiently, blowing a small wisp of fire onto her oversized paws.

Nyx placed Taran down and then sniffed the air. She also started touching the ground, rubbing it between her fingers and sniffing it.

Taran couldn't quite understand why she was doing it. Dirt was nasty, he gagged a little but she didn't seem to notice.

"I don't think Aleena's gotten far. We might make it in time," she muttered. She looked up and then took off into a run, leaving him behind. Why was everyone running so much?

"Nyx?" he called meekly but the dinosaur Digimon grabbed onto his hand and started pulling him.

He found it difficult to run with soggy trainers and stumbled over the difficult grassy terrain.

"This is fun!" Agumon beamed back at him as they ran.

Taran shook his head. He definitely didn't share the sentiment. He was still shivering and the branches kept grazing him and tripping him and scaring him as he ran.

A scream erupted ahead and they ran out into the clearing. The light blinded him for a moment but he could hear Aleena.

"Don't scream like that again, Reuben!"

He squinted, the light momentarily blinding him before he managed to open his eyes and see Reuben on the ground with Aleena stood in front of him. She was pushing against a large creature's metal stick, trying to stop it from hitting the two of them. It looked a little like a monkey-human hybrid and it seemed a lot scarier than Agumon or Talmon. It was more like that scary black knight he had seen when she had kidnapped him. It was wearing mostly black clothing with only a red headband standing out.

"Talmon!" Aleena's voice was firm and unshaken.

The Digimon leapt from the trees, holding out its paw. "Seven Dragon Magic!" A strange green picture appeared in the air in front of its paw and then seven wisps of colourful magical smoke flew out.

Taran watched in amazement. "Wow…"

The dragons pushed the ape backwards and away from Aleena.

"I don't appreciate being rushed," Talmon said, glancing up at her briefly, as he walked past.

"We have no time to mess about taking naps in the trees. This guy is no pushover, you know?"

Reuben managed to get to his feet with the help of Gabumon. "What was the gunshot?"

Nyx grabbed hold of Taran's hand and led him over to the group, her partner following. "Are you hurt?"

"I shot at him with a Data Destruction Capsule but missed," Aleena grumbled.

"You don't usually miss, were you thinking about a boy, perhaps?" teased Reuben. Did he mean Taran?

Aleena seemed angry, she wasn't even looking at them. "Shut up."

"This guy is Gokuwmon. He's not our target," Nyx explained, her eyes flitting over the strange creature's appearance.

"I don't need brains right now." Aleena clenched her fists. "Help or leave."

Nyx sighed. "Agumon."

"Gabumon, you too," Reuben said and the three Digimon advanced on their opponent.

Aleena exhaled tiredly, turning away from the Digimon but then her eyes narrowed on Taran. He knew it. She was mad at him. "Why'd you bring Taran?"

"You said don't let him out our sight, so we didn't," Nyx replied matter-of-factly, shrugging.

Aleena groaned. "I didn't mean bring him directly into the danger zone!"

Taran looked at them all, feeling a mix of worry and a need for the toilet. "I'm in danger?"

Aleena sighed, but smiled. "No, you'll be fine. Stick next to me."

~.~.~

"Spitfire!" Agumon spat out a rapid barrage of small fireballs from her mouth while Talmon and Gabumon ran parallel to her chain of flames.

Talmon knew he had to focus, this guy was serious business. "Energy burst!" He spat out a ball of green energy from his mouth, hoping to hit the blind spot while Gokuwmon focussed on the fire.

"Blue Blaster!" Gabumon's blue flames flew at the Digimon from the other side and Gokuwmon's rapid eye movement betrayed his panic.

"Walking Shadow."

Gokuwmon's body flickered and then vanished. Then, suddenly, there were three of Gokuwmon; one in front of each Digimon. Talmon watched as Gabumon and Agumon were thrown back and tried to stop the same from happening to himself but Gokuwmon was undeniably fast. The copy that was nearest to Agumon remained as the other two faded and Gokuwmon smirked as Agumon got back up to stand her ground. "Lightning Cannon." His staff emitted a blast of electricity so intense it launched the Digimon through the air like a piece of paper and into Nyx's arms.

~.~.~

Nyx stroked her partner, her face softening. "You have to be careful," she chided gently.

"Clearly we have to get involved. Reuben, cover me." Aleena sprinted off, looking back at Nyx briefly.

Nyx turned to Taran, bending down and placing her partner on the ground as she looked into his eyes. "So, Taran, did you ever make snow angels with your family?"

The question was a weird one. Taran was sure he had, he closed his eyes, trying fervently to remember but suddenly hands clamped over his ears and he was pulled into a warm chest.

~.~.~

Reuben pulled back the string of his bow, unleashing an arrow as Aleena got into position and pulled the trigger of her handgun. Gokuwmon managed to bash the arrow away but the bullet pierced his shoulder and then his arm began to fizzle. Gokuwmon looked at it, moving the pole about in the arm until the limb disappeared completely.

"The DDC worked," Nyx called, standing up.

"Finish him off!" Aleena yelled, holstering her gun.

"Seven Dragon Magic!" The dragons clamped onto Gokuwmon, restraining him and elevating him into the air away from his pole.

Gokuwmon seemed undeterred. He opened his mouth and lightning arced from it, tearing up the ground as it flew at the group of humans. He didn't even aim for the Digimon.

Nyx and Agumon ran back but Taran was rooted to the spot. "Aleena!"

"Dammit!" Aleena cursed as the lightning split up into several branches of electricity and came at them fast. "I'll get Taran, you two go!" She was running without thinking. Her body moved on its own as she grabbed hold of the little brunet and leapt onto the ground while her comrades dived out of the way. There wasn't time to hide somewhere so she was going to have to mitigate the damage. She covered the little boy's head as the electricity tore up the ground all around them. As quickly as it had started, it ceased.

Getting up, she helped Taran up and then ushered him over to a tree. "Hide here and don't come out 'til I tell you."

"Okay." His response was simple so she ran off, confident that he would be okay.

~.~.~

Taran was terrified but there was little else he could say. He cowered behind the tree, gripping it tightly and peeking out, both his eyes locked onto Aleena. She was brave and so strong. Suddenly, he noticed that the back of her right jean leg had been burnt away at the bottom and the skin underneath was bright red and scorched. He felt sick knowing he'd caused her an injury. "I'm sorry..."

~.~.~

Gokuwmon had somehow managed to break free and the others were surrounding him, cautiously pacing as if they were boxers in a ring. Aleena wasn't sure why anyone would be cautious; it was a waste of time. She leapt straight through the group and raised her leg to deliver a swift kick to Gokuwmon's chest. "This isn't a joke, you know!"

"Aleena!" Reuben yelled as Gokuwmon used his pole to jab her in the chest. There had been no time to stop him; she had been careless.

Aleena's body flew across the field, arcing through the air as Talmon chased after her. He waved his hand and a single dragon burst out and then two others quickly followed, darting towards her as she fell quickly. The dragons flew underneath, trying to cushion the fall. Her body still hit the ground but the fall was greatly reduced.

Talmon rushed over to her side, waving his paw to dissipate the dragons. "Are you alright?"

Everything was very fuzzy but she was alive. "He hits like a girl and not a me girl." She rubbed her head. Sitting up, she checked her chest. "I'm fine."

Talmon laughed, his eyes relaxing and a smile spreading across his face. "No one hits like you."

~.~.~

Nyx resisted checking on Aleena, going against her better judgement. "Reuben!" She threw him one end of a chain from her bag.

He caught it, nodding, and then they ran at Gokuwmon. "Agumon, Spitfire, Gabumon Blue Blaster!"

The Digimon complied, unleashing the flames at Gokuwmon.

The ape-man easily deflected the attacks, spinning his pole and keeping an eye on Nyx and Reuben.

Nyx turned and ran straight at Reuben, leaping into his arms.

He vaulted her straight over the top of Gokuwmon, the chain still in her hand.

She landed directly behind Gokuwmon and looped the chain around his neck before tugging it taut. Reuben moved in sync, tossing the chain to Gabumon and allowing his partner to complete the restraining of their opponent's body by looping it around Gokuwmon's body repeatedly.

They all stood back to admire their handiwork. "How did he escape from Talmon's attack?" Nyx asked.

"Kintoun!" Clouds wrapped around the Digimon and then he faded into them, the chains coming loose. The clouds flew just in front of the chains and his body reformed, a smirk plastered across the anthropomorphic face.

"That's how…" Agumon muttered, looking down at her large feet.

"Bit late, honey." Nyx sighed, her eyebrows furrowing with worry. She had to stay positive, this wasn't over yet.

~.~.~

Taran felt nervous as he saw Aleena groggily trying to regain her senses while the others ran away. He wanted to run really badly, in fact every ounce of his being was telling him to run but he wanted to keep his promise to Aleena. Taran was also pretty worried about what else could be lurking in the crazy forest so it seemed like a better idea to stay put and hope that the ape man started being nice soon.

"Lightning-speed Attack." Gokuwmon planted his staff into the ground and a thunder cloud began to gather overhead. It was terrifying and so dark!  
"He's planning on using a larger scale attack than last time, retreat," Nyx yelled, leaping backwards.

Reuben nodded and ran back with her but their partners hesitated.

Taran gripped onto the tree he was hiding behind, only daring to peek out slightly.

"I'm going in!" Agumon cheered, running with a gleeful grin. "Pepper Breath!" A large ball of fire, easily the size of her head, amassed in her open jaw.

Lightning bolts began to rain down around them but Agumon easily avoided them while everyone else retreated. As the orange dinosaur reached Gokuwmon, a lightning bolt struck his staff and the cloud vanished.

Nyx screamed, "Get out of there!"

The warning didn't help the Digimon and she was thrown through the air as Gokuwmon charged, stabbing at Gabumon next.

Taran gasped. This was all so awful.

"Hidden Knock." Gabumon's body became blue flames as the staff impaled him and then the flames exploded, throwing Gokuwmon back.

The ape Digimon roared loudly and then discharged the rest of the electricity he'd absorbed as a ball of lightning, throwing Gabumon back into Reuben's arms.

Gokuwmon grinned, seeming to take pleasure in inflicting pain, and then ran at the others.

"Seven Dragon Magic." Talmon unleashed the colourful serpents and threw Gokuwmon back just as he reached Nyx.

"Nice work," Aleena grumbled, finally managing to stand up. She grimaced with pain and clutched her chest.

"Battle Hawk!" Agumon—waiting behind Gokuwmon as he staggered backwards—unleashed a flaming bird from her mouth, sending Gokuwmon back towards the group.

"Now, Gabumon!" Reuben covered his face with his arm as his partner ran past.

"Crush Nail!" Gabumon leapt into the air while revolving and began to burn with blue flames. He rived Gokuwmon apart and the data began to form into an egg.

Aleena slowly walked back over to Taran. "See, I told you it'd be alright," she said, smiling.

Taran nodded, looking down at his feet. He had been worrying over nothing and she wasn't happy with him now. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Aleena said, laughing as she led him back out to the group.

Reuben had withdrawn a golden ball from his pocket crushed it in his hand, sprinkling it over the egg.

"Why is he an egg now?" Taran asked. He kneeled down to look at the colourful object.

"It's what happens to Digimon when they die, sweetie," Nyx explained.

When the dust touched it, the egg slowly began to disappear. The sight was both mesmerising and terrifying because if it fell on him, then he would disappear too. He tensed up, too afraid to move.

"That stuff is harmless to humans," Nyx said. Suddenly, she became completely rigid and pressed her finger to her lips. "Psst, look over there, quietly," she whispered, pointing over to a bush.

Taran did as he was told and, without warning, a bright orange monkey poked its head out and then scampered away as soon as it saw people. "Wow…" Taran muttered, his mouth open as wide as his eyes. "How did you know it was there?"

"When I'm not working for RODAF, I hunt." Nyx beamed.

"Hunt?" Taran asked, pouting. He was sure that meant she killed these creatures.

"Shame you can't hunt down the Digimon we need," Aleena grumbled, looking down at her leg.

Nyx inspected the leg and exclaimed, "You hurt yourself."

"It's nothing," Aleena protested, turning back around so that the wound wasn't on show.

"Shut up. Reu, come here!"

Reuben came over quickly and sighed as he looked at Aleena's leg. "You're so reckless." He shook his head.

"It's just a little graze." Aleena brushed off the injury and the attention with a wave of her hand.

"I've got some burn wrap here, it'll only take a second," Reuben said, withdrawing a miniature first aid kit from his pocket. He thumbed through the small box's contents and then withdrew a piece of fabric. Kneeling down next to Aleena's leg, he wrapped the bandage around the limb securely and then tied the ends to hold it in place.

"I think I need some of that," Agumon said, walking round in circles, still dazed from Gokuwmon's attack.

Nyx laughed. "Be quiet, sweetie."

"And for the record, I have tracked them; well at least I assume it's them." Nyx smirked.

"Nice job, Nyx." Aleena got to her feet, grimacing slightly. "Where to?"

"I'll be leading the way, you're injured." Reuben pointed his thumb at his chest and walked in front.

"Fine," Aleena grumbled.

"Where are we going?" Taran grabbed on to Aleena's t-shirt. He was afraid to go somewhere else after this.

Aleena looked down at him, taking his hand off her T-shirt. "Just stay close."

~.~.~

Taran did as he was told, staying close to the green haired girl as they clambered for at least as long as an episode of Junji Hunter Go Go through various strange flora.

Reuben, at the head of the group, suddenly held up his hand and they all stopped. "I hear something up ahead," he whispered.

"What is it?" Nyx stopped, closing her eyes.

"I'd recognise those heavy footsteps anywhere, it's Alphamon," Aleena stated flatly, her eyes narrowing as the others gulped.

Was it a friend? "Who's Alphamon?" Taran asked.

"He's a big bad strong knight Digimon who constantly interferes with our missions," Nyx explained.

Taran frowned. "He sounds mean."

Gabumon patted Taran on the arm. "He is."

Aleena pushed through the group. "Nyx, I want you to shoot him with a DDC and keep shooting him every time he moves, then we'll take care of the other Digimon while he's down," Aleena ordered. "You've both got your Sparks?" They nodded. "Let's go."

Nyx scrambled up a tree, almost like a monkey. Her partner followed, using her claws to climb and kicking her little legs as she disappeared into the leaves.

Aleena led Taran over to the same tree as his eyes fixated on Nyx's colourful frame clambering up. "Don't move, cover your ears, and be good, okay?" she whispered.

Taran nodded. "Okay." This was beginning to become routine.

"Good boy, we won't be long."

"Ready Aleena?" Reuben called.

"Ready." She rushed off.

A gunshot filled the air and Taran clamped his hands over his ears tightly. "I'm scared."

hot filled the air and Taran clamped his hands over his ears tightly. "I'm scared."

* * *

 **How will this rematch with Alphamon end up? How strong is a DDC? Will Taran be okay? What even was the mission? I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Also, make sure to check the website (link on my profile) for bonus information, art, character bios and more.**


	10. Chapter Nine: Alphamon

Aleena charged out into the clearing, her comrades flanking her either side. Scanning the battlefield, she saw it was torn up with chunks of loose earth and craters throughout. She immediately spotted the first Digimon of the three she suspected to be in the area. It was Alphamon—paralysed by Nyx's bullet. He was fading between translucent and opaque and unable to move.

Looking back straight ahead, she felt Ben grab her arm, pulling her back as she saw a black-bull Digimon with four legs bringing his blade down towards them. "Talmon!" she yelled, tossing the yellow tablet to her partner. Reuben did the same and the two dived out of the way as the two Digimon swallowed their tablets. His red armour with gold accents managed to catch her gaze briefly before she spotted their next opponent.

"Aleena, get down!" Reuben yelled as the Digimon opened fire with something that looked a lot like an antique machine gun.

She leapt behind a hill, Reuben diving behind the adjacent one, as their partners exploded into data.

~.~.~

Talmon and Gabumon became amorphous blobs of data, a sphere of light encasing their exposed innards. In unison, both spheres fractured, an arm flying out of each. Talmon's armour was lime green, while Gabumon's was sky blue. The arms grabbed onto the blade, holding Vajramon in place as he pulled out his other sword and they completed the Digivolution. Their other arms exploded out, each carrying a weapon. The blue arm, holding a long sword, bashed Vajramon's other blade backwards and caused him to retreat. The two shattered their spheres, looking at each other before they charged.

Vajramon had recovered. Spinning his blades around, he galloped towards them.

"Artalmon, block it!" The blue Champion Digimon ordered, pointing his blade at their opponent.

Artalmon used his sword to block the attack but was quickly overwhelmed by Vajramon's physical strength. He was knocked backwards as Argabumon leapt into the air.

"Freeze blast!" The ice cold energy exploded from the metal, tearing through the centre of Vajramon's chest and causing him to quickly reform as a Digiegg. "You're getting slow."

Artalmon laughed. "I'm saving my energy for the main event!" He stretched, twirling his blade loosely in his wrist. "Let's go assist Nyx, he's not staying under much longer."

~.~.~

Aleena looked out, the blue pinstripe suit and ragged cloak made it clear their opponent was as archaic as his weaponry.

He was spinning a small knife around in his hand, and upon noticing Aleena's face, he launched it.

Aleena fired off two shots with her gun, both hitting the blade, first causing it to spin and then stop dead and fall to the ground where it dug in.

A barrage of arrows flew all around her, aimed at Astamon. Diving back behind a hill when she could, she watched Reuben load and fire with speed and accuracy that excelled beyond the professional level. It did make sense, considering he had entered the Olympics more than once as an independent candidate. Aleena looked at their opponent and saw he was having a little trouble but was managing to shoot down the arrows. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I could have handled it."

Reuben glanced at her briefly. "Little busy."

"I'm going to go hit him in the face now, feel free to join in."

"Aleena, no, it's dangerous!"

Leaping up from behind the hill, she kept low and moved fast, avoiding the arrows and bullets as they collided. As soon as she was in range, she aimed for his throat.

Astamon threw his gun up into the air and grabbed onto her fist.

Aleena growled and brought her leg up towards his head.

He moved his head to the side but Reuben's foot lay waiting, striking the Digimon in the temple. Astamon released Aleena, staggering backwards.

Aleena held out her hand in front of Reuben, watching the Digimon closely as he caught his gun.

"Maverick." The tall Digimon ran and leapt into the air, his leg bursting into black flames as he spun it around towards them. In sync, they lifted their arms, blocking it, but the attack threw them across the clearing regardless. They both thudded against one of the lumps of raised earth, groaning in pain.

Aleena felt a trickle of warm liquid from her mouth and knew that it was blood. Her arms throbbed but didn't feel broken, that Rock Serum of Simyan's never ceased to amaze her. She shook her head, trying to avoid the grogginess that was impeding Reuben from acting. In her blurry vision she saw Astamon raise his gun, pulling the trigger three times. She pulled out her own handgun, focussing her eyes, and pulled the trigger three times. Standing up, she panted as the three bullets intercepted her opponent's and they all fell to the ground harmlessly.

Astamon smirked, his sharpened teeth shining as he twirled his gun on his finger.

Aleena exhaled and slipped her handgun back into its holster. Crisis averted, for now.

"I told you not to run at him." Reuben groaned, pushing himself up and readying his bow.

Aleena looked back, narrowing her eyes.

Reuben rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Go. I'll cover you."

Aleena nodded and then ran forwards as the arrows flew past her, Astamon shooting them all down only for more to replace them.

Reaching into the pocket on the back of her belt, she checked the magazine as she withdrew it. Inside, she saw purple bullets—Data Destruction capsules. Tossing her old empty magazine on the floor, she loaded the new magazine. Stopping in her tracks, she aimed—now much closer to Astamon—and pulled the trigger twice. She missed.

"Hell fire!" Astamon's gun turned bright red and his fire rate increased.

Aleena dived behind a hill, and looked back to see Reuben out of sight too. Ignoring her comrade, she refocused her attention back on their opponent. Firstly, how on earth had she missed? What could possibly be distracting her? There was nothing different about this than normal, was there? Moving out of cover to the left, she noticed that seemed to be the side he was ignoring more. Aiming carefully, she pulled the trigger and grinned as it tore through Astamon's chest. Astamon fizzled a little and then his data separated, reforming as a Digiegg. Sighing with relief, she realised that it was just her imagination. That was their target dead and that just left the perpetual annoyance—Alphamon.

Nyx and her partner walked out of the forest. The only difference was Agumon was now mechanised too. Her armour was orange and she was carrying a broadsword in her right hand. They all gathered in front of Alphamon as he began to move slightly.

Aleena walked over. "You stopped because?"

Nyx slung the rifle over her shoulder. "He was gaining immunity to the capsules. This means that our Digimon's Data Destruction Blades won't work either. Be careful."

Reuben checked his arrow supply. "We're support?"

"I'm still thinking of a plan." Nyx furrowed her brow, rubbing her forehead.

"So I'm in charge till you come up with something." Aleena smirked.

Reuben sighed exasperatedly. "You can't possibly have a plan already. And even if you do it's probably reckless and moronic."

"You—" Aleena paused and looked at Nyx. "What's the word?"

"Underestimate?" Nyx watched Alphamon's form stop fizzing like TV static and stabilise.

"Yeah, that!" Aleena turned back to Reuben. "You underestimate me, Reu, so I'll prove you wrong."

"Just wait for Nyx!" he protested.

"Too late!" Aragumon yelled, throwing them all up into the air.

A black armoured hand flew forwards. It took all three of the Digimon to block it.

"Quick, plan!" Artalmon yelled, struggling to hold the black metal palm back.

Alphamon relaxed his arm, his white cape billowing as he stood back.

"I'm taking charge. You're with me, Tal; Gabu and Agu on front lines!" She turned back to her comrades. "You two make something that can beat him!"

"There's no laboratory! What about safety?" Reuben yelled.

Nyx groaned. "Aleena, we aren't chemists!"

Alphamon leapt back, summoning his black spear-like weapon from thin air.

Artalmon retreated next to Aleena and the other two Digimon charged after their opponent.

Aleena withdrew her gun. "Throw me!"

Her partner obliged, tossing her at Alphamon without hesitation.

She pulled the trigger repeatedly as she hurtled towards Alphamon. His hand flew at her, flicking her away as Aragumon and Argabumon brought their blades down on him. Artalmon caught her and turned, setting her down on the ground and shielding her with his body. She was just thankful the Rock Serum hadn't ran out yet or that could have really hurt.

"Freeze Blast."

"Burn Blade."

The black knight Digimon was pushed backwards a few feet by the blast but, suddenly, his body shimmered. No more than a second later, all of the Digimon were scattered about, crushed into the ground.

Artalmon's body flickered in front of Aleena and she knew that Alphamon was definitely a serious threat. Pushing herself to her feet, she looked around while the pain slowly ebbed away.

Nyx yelled, "He has the ability to manipulate time; only he and his opponents are able to fight within the temporal space and he has a trump card still held back." She was one smart cookie; Aleena had no idea how Alphamon had done that.

Aragumon changed back into a rookie, too weak to go on.

Nyx clenched her fists. "Argabumon, freeze the ground. We'll bring the fight to him now!"

"Let's go, then!" Aleena yelled.

Argabumon threw Agumon back to Nyx and she set her partner down safely in the trees. "Ice Meld." Argabumon's body shimmered and then he was absorbed into the ground. Ice spread out from where he had disappeared until the entire area was like an ice rink.

"Aleena, you know the plan?" Nyx yelled.

"Of course."

Reuben shouted, "Don't get cocky; he just defeated all our partners without breaking a sweat!"

Aleena caught a bag, thrown to her by Nyx, pulling the straps on her shoulders. "I don't play nice either!" She pointed at Alphamon, narrowing her eyes.

~.~.~

Nyx aimed with her rifle, pulling the trigger as soon as her sight was on Alphamon.

The black knight Digimon dodged to the side but Aleena withdrew a combat knife from her waist, throwing it and chasing after it.

Alphamon slipped on the ice, struggling to move his weapon to block the knife.

Grabbing a handful of Reuben's arrows, Nyx strapped explosives onto them, and passed them back. Reuben unleashed all five in quick succession while Nyx moved steadily across the ice, careful not to slip.

Alphamon managed to lift his spear into the path of the explosive arrows but Aleena's knife dug into a sweet spot and the explosives detonated at the same time. The air around the Digimon filled with black acrid smoke.

Nyx ran up to Artalmon, taking advantage of the smokescreen, and Artalmon grabbed onto her firmly and then threw her into the air where she could see down through the smoke. Nyx knew she had to be quick. Tearing the pins from the grenades, she hurled them at her enemy while he was still blinded.

It went to plan; Alphamon had no time to react due to the smoke, so he was launched backwards across the ice and into a tree.

~.~.~

Aleena stopped running, skidding across the ice and trying to keep her balance. She threw several sticky grenades, using her momentum to increase their speed as they each attached to a tree and exploded, smashing them. The foliage cascaded around Alphamon, crushing him.

Aleena watched, hopeful it would keep him down for a moment. She felt herself slowing, almost to a stop, when Artalmon grabbed onto her from behind and threw her backwards, leaping back slightly himself.

Artalmon then caught Nyx, also throwing her backwards as Alphamon exploded out of the trees, knocking them into the air. Alphamon tossed the trees like a baby throwing toys out of their pram, making them mostly inaccurate but forceful. Luckily, Artalmon managed to bash them all, except one, away. The two girls jumped in sync over the lone flying tree as it crashed into the ice. As soon as their feet touched the ice, they both started into a sprint. Aleena pulled the trigger until her handgun was empty, and then threw the magazine to Nyx. Unluckily, all of the DDC bullets missed.

Nyx withdrew twelve explosive rounds, sliding them into the magazine as it moved past her while simultaneously launching a remote explosive with her free hand. Spinning around, she threw the ammunition back, falling onto the ice with a thud.

Aleena held her handgun sideways, allowing the magazine to slide in and pulled the trigger four times.

The remote explosive attached to Alphamon and was detonated quickly by the four explosive bullets, launching him out of sight through the trees; a trail of data chasing after him.

They all began to pant, revelling in their victory and trying to gather their feet on the ice. Aleena helped Nyx up and they headed back to Reuben. He tossed a golden pellet to each of them as the ice faded and Argabumon reformed, exhausted. Aleena crushed hers over Astamon's Digiegg while Nyx took care of Vajramon. Reuben handed the final capsule—for Alphamon—to Artalmon.

There was a loud rumble and Aleena looked up to see Alphamon and a purple glyph in the sky. The glyph began to grow until it covered an area much wider than she could see.

"That Digicode says something about summoning!" Nyx exclaimed, her voice shaking from panic. It was still baffling she could read some stupid squiggles as words. She grabbed onto Reuben's hand firmly as Argabumon changed back to his Rookie form.

Aleena smirked. "He thinks his trump card can beat us. Nyx, take him out."

Nyx breathed deeply, regaining her confidence. "Ask nicely, and the answer becomes a yes," she teased, waving her rifle.

Aleena rolled her eyes. Niceties were not her forte. "Please."

Nyx lifted the gun. "Ready." She pulled the trigger.

Aleena watched Alphamon's head twitch and his hand created another glyph to block the bullet. The glyph shattered and his arm began to fizz but they'd failed. The summoning glyph was glowing extremely brightly, which meant it was ready.

Nyx screamed, "I missed!"

"No, look closer," Reuben urged.

Aleena tried to look closer but she couldn't see too much. Reuben's right eye and Nyx's left eye rolled around in the socket until they both turned lime green. "I hate getting left out by the cyborgs," Aleena groaned, resting back against a tree.

Artalmon placed his arm comfortingly on her shoulder. "You can always get a fake eye if you want one."

"We didn't get ours by choice," Reuben said, casting a brief glance over to Aleena. "Nyx, take another shot and he's finished."

Nyx nodded and reached into her pocket and then her face dropped. Aleena and Reuben knew instantly. Laughing nervously, she pulled out the empty pocket. "I'm all out, I left the spares on the plane."

Their eyes returned to normal and Reuben sat down on the floor, sulking. "That's it, we're finished."

"No, stay positive; we can think of something!" Nyx shook her boyfriend's shoulder. However, her sullen eyes and frown betrayed her worry. "We still have this." She looked over the makeshift DDC grenade they had concocted. "Maybe when he comes down we can hit him with it."

Aleena sighed, realising what she had to do. "Tal, throw me at him. I'll use the grenade they prepared earlier at close range and then it's over."

Artalmon shook his head. "Aleena, that's too dangerous."

Nyx looked up, her face lighting up. "Aleena, you'll only have one shot. You sure you can make it?" Nyx held out the grenade.

Aleena grinned. "When was I last sure?"

Nyx pulled back the grenade slightly. "Never."

"And when have I let that stop me?"

Nyx clenched her other hand, shaking her head. "You haven't but this is different. Your survival rate is too low."

"Then I'm going out with a bang." Aleena winked and took the grenade from Nyx.

Reuben was coddling his head, looking at the ground but suddenly he looked up. "I'll do it." He grabbed hold of the grenade.

Aleena held on tightly, locking eyes with the long haired male as he stood up. "I can do this without you, got it?"

"Statistically, I have the best chance due to my eyes."

Aleena moved close to his face. "I am _not_ letting you take my place."

Reuben looked at his fiancée. "Nyx?" They both turned to face her. The throbbing from overhead was becoming deafening now.

Nyx held up her hands. "He's right, Aleena. My idiot fiancé will make a better suicide bomber than you." She sighed. "I was hoping for a summer wedding."

Aleena grimaced. "Fine; don't screw this up." She relinquished the grenade, standing back with an eye roll.

"I won't; I'll be back quick and then we'll play cards tonight, like always." He looked up at Alphamon and then back down. "I promise."

"Be careful, Reu." Nyx grabbed onto his arm.

Reuben looked at her. "I will." He turned to Artalmon. "I'm ready."

Nyx stood back. "Back in time for dinner, okay?"

"You two aren't an old married couple yet, stop acting like one," Aleena snapped.

Artalmon grabbed onto the male. "You only get one shot, hold on tight." Artalmon leapt into the air, arching his arm back.

Reuben pulled the grenade into his chest tightly. "I won't fail."

~.~.~

Reuben soared through the sky like a missile. The wind was blistering against his face as his eyes changed. The right turned green and the left became blue, both locking onto the target. A crosshair appeared in his vision with an impact time next to it. Nineteen seconds. He had less than a second to throw it at that point and then all it had to do was make contact.

~.~.~

A brown scaly arm, easily the size of a building, erupted from the glyph. Taran screamed in fear, running out from behind the trees. This was all becoming too real for him. He was in actual danger. He grabbed onto Aleena, trembling.

She yelled, "I told you to wait in the trees!" He was so distracting! Why on earth she had brought him along was now a mystery.

"I'm scared!" Taran buried his face in her jeans. He didn't want a big scary monster to eat him.

"That doesn't change what I told you to do!"

Taran looked up as Nyx placed her arm around him. Aleena could be worse than that big monster, perhaps? But at least Nyx would be there for him. He leaned into her hug.

"It's okay, honey, I am too."

Aleena clenched her fists, ignoring them, and whispered quietly, "Throw it, throw it."

~.~.~

Reuben launched the grenade; rocketing past, he was unable to see the outcome and felt his head become dizzy from the swift altitude change. He looked down at the ground wearily and then passed out.

~.~.~

The area around Alphamon exploded with fire and the glyph flickered and vanished, the scaly arm with it, as an object burst from the robust cloud of smoke. "He's still solid, let's go!" Aleena burst into a run. Her partner had ran ahead to catch Reuben but they hadn't expected Alphamon to survive the blast.

"Can you run?" Nyx asked as her partner walked up next to her.

"I'm perky!" Agumon bounced up, high fiving her partner.

Gabumon balled up his fists. "We have to stop him from hurting Reuben."

Nyx picked Taran up and started running. "Don't get too far ahead, Ally!"

~.~.~

Aleena burst through the trees to see Artalmon set Reuben down against a tree. She breathed a sigh of relief as the others ran out all around her. "What's the plan, Nyx?"

"Don't die." Nyx set Taran down.

"I think I can manage that," Reuben mumbled, only half-conscious.

Nyx shook her head, smiling as a tear ran down her cheek. "You're too weak!"

Reuben walked over, pulling his bow off his back. "You need me."

Aleena looked at Nyx, raising an eyebrow.

The pink haired girl glared back but eventually sighed. "Fine, stay safe, Reuben."

Aleena picked Taran up, putting him behind the trees. "Don't leave this spot. This time I _really_ mean it."

Taran held up his little finger. "I promise."

"What are you doing?"

"It's a pinky swear; it means you won't break the promise no matter what. You have to wrap your pinky 'round mine. Like this." He curled his little finger around hers.

She was shocked as she looked at him. He was so childlike. Well, he was a child. She wrapped her finger around his. "What now?"

"Now you say: pinky swear."

"Pink—"

"Wait, can you promise you won't get hurt?" Taran looked genuinely worried.

Aleena sighed. This was so tedious. "I promise."

"Pinky swear," he insisted fervently.

Aleena nodded. "Pinky swear." They moved their hands up and down then she pulled away. "Stay there."

She walked back out to the others as Alphamon withdrew his weapon, waking up mid-fall. "He's tough." The data trailing from him showed he was weaker than he had ever been though. This meant there was a chance.

Reuben cracked his neck. "Why isn't he flying?"

"The wings were destroyed in the blast," Nyx explained, pointing.

Aleena checked her gun. "He's still a threat."

"Move back or his impact will throw us back," Nyx warned.

They all moved backwards and Aleena placed her fingers in her ears, nodding at Taran until he copied.

Alphamon crashed into the ground and there was a rush of sound as debris flew everywhere, blanketing the sky. Artalmon took the brunt of the fallout by standing in front of them, and it showed as he fell onto his knees as silence fell.

Smoke swirled around the area but, as it cleared, the large crater in front of them quickly became apparent. It was at least thirty meters in diameter and several meters deep at the point of impact. Alphamon slowly stood up in the crater, coughing as his body fizzed and crackled. He held out his blade, albeit slightly shakily at first.

Nyx coughed, yelling, "Don't forget about his time manipulation, we prevented him from using it effectively on the ice due to the abilities distance limitation and the reduced movement potential."

"It's hard to forget." Artalmon pushed a lump of earth off himself and stood back up, brandishing his sword.

"I concur," Gabumon grumbled.

"Let's go, guys!" Agumon beamed.

Aleena rubbed her head. "Your partner is too happy."

"Not the time," Reuben interrupted before Nyx had a chance to respond.

Alphamon rushed forwards, raising his blade.

Artalmon moved to meet him. "Holy Slash." His white blade crashed against Alphamon's weapon.

"Blue Blaster!"

"Pepper Breath!"

The three attacks broke Alphamon's already cracked blade, so he tossed it aside, leaping backwards.

"This isn't over," Nyx grumbled.

"We know, don't worry!" Agumon laughed and then led the charge with the other Digimon.

Aleena ran after them as Nyx and Reuben split up around the edge of the battlefield. "Pincer attack, textbook," she whispered, rolling her eyes.

"Battle Hawk!"

"Blue Blaster!"

Artalmon swung his blade down in unison with the attacks but Alphamon easily knocked all three away with a swing of his leg.

Aleena fired six shots from her handgun as Nyx threw a grenade.

The black knight moved his arms to block the attacks, clearly too weak to use his glyphs now.

Reuben fired an arrow but the Digimon dismissed it. The arrow flew through the smoke and Alphamon roared in pain.

"The trick worked," Reuben exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect him to fall for weak arrows and then one with a Data Destruction Arrowhead," Nyx said, shaking her head and smiling. "Nice job, everyone!"

Aleena screamed, "Nyx!"

A black hand crushed Nyx, blood flying outwards. The other hand crashed into Reuben, who flew into a tree with a cracking noise. A glyph appeared on each of the Digimon and Reuben, exploding in an instant.

Aleena began to shake, screaming uncontrollably. Her friend's bloody bodies covered the landscape and her own Digimon was barely clinging to life. Alphamon's body was barely opaque but his strength, even in this state, was terrifying. They didn't stand a chance. They never had.

She felt limp as she looked at Nyx's lifeless body. Dropping her handgun, she fell to her knees, trembling. Aleena managed to look over at Taran. His face was a mixture of terror and confusion. She did this; she had brought him into a situation where he was going to die. It was almost like she was detached from her body, looking down on this horrifying reality.

A weak voice called out, "Aleena?"

She searched for the source. "Tal!" She grabbed her gun and scarpered over to him. Leaning over him protectively, she looked up at Alphamon. The huge Digimon's face was a picture of apathy. "Don't ignore me!" she screamed, shaking as her cheeks flared up. "Hit me!"

A smile crept along the Digimon's face. "It's over. You may keep your life, pathetic human."

"No; you have no right to decide if I live or die! You already hurt them. Hurt me!"

"If you become stronger, I'll consider your challenge."

She grasped her gun tightly and yelled, "Why them, and not me!?"

"They had value; you do not."

"They aren't dead! They _have_ value! They'll survive this!"

"If you believe you can rescue them without me crushing you, then you may try."

Aleena moved forwards slightly but the fist crashed in front of her before she managed to manoeuvre any significant distance. Looking up at him, she tried to muster a defiant glare.

"Your efforts are futile. I'll admit you are better than average for your race but you aren't on the same level as myself."

Aleena fired off the last few rounds from her gun. "How dare you!" The bullets bounced off him pathetically, causing minor explosions, and she gritted her teeth. She was useless. That was it. She would just try and let him kill her. It was better than doing nothing.

"Aleena, we've got to go. Taran's crying," Talmon urged, touching her arm gently.

"I—" she faltered. Aleena had forgotten anyone else was even with her. Her chest was hurting, but she knew she had to ignore it.

"I know. Let's go." He pulled at her.

She closed her eyes, a tear trickling down her cheek. Grabbing Talmon's paw, she ran into the forest.

"That's right, run in fear! Tell your people to stop infecting mine!"

Her breathing was haggard as she ran up to Taran. "We're going!"

Taran pointed back at the bloodbath. "What about them?"

Aleena shook her head, tears trickling down her cheeks. "They're dead, let's go!"

"We can't just leave them!"

"Remember what I told you: Do what I tell you even if you think it's wrong!" She pulled at his arm but he didn't move.

"But we can't leave them, I like them!" He started crying and stamped his foot. "I don't want to go!"

"Taran, I won't ask again. We're going!" She grabbed hold of his hand and started to run, dragging him with her as he sobbed.

~.~.~

They ran out of the forest and onto a rocky outcrop. A steep drop and waterfall were looming just ahead. She stopped running as she felt Taran collapse next to her. Sweat was mixing with the tears and dripping from her face but she grabbed onto his hand as he struggled to breathe. "I know you're scared but you need to—" She shivered as Nyx's crushed body appeared in front of her eyes. "I need you to…"

Talmon pulled at her. "Aleena?"

"Yeah?" she muttered absentmindedly, having let go of Taran's hand.

"You said Taran needed to do something," he said.

Taran threw up into the water nearby, still sobbing.

She thought of Reuben's face as the hand hit him. The look of terror in Nyx's eyes burned onto her retinas. Every time she blinked it would reappear. "I need you to trust me one last time and keep moving," she said, touching Taran's shoulder. Barely able to stand, she breathed deeply.

Taran coughed, wiping his mouth. "No one is chasing us. I wanna stop," he begged, tearful as he looked at her. "I wanna go home!"

"Taran, I need you to do this last thing."

He sniffled and whined, "I'm tired."

"I know, but just hold on tight. I'll do the running and it won't be much longer."

He looked at her for a while before throwing up again. Glancing up, he coughed. "Okay, I trust you."

"Good— Good boy." Aleena ruffled his hair weakly but she couldn't feel anything. She still felt like an outsider looking in.

Aleena picked him up. She looked at Talmon; he was too weak to jump. "I'll carry you too."

"I'm fine," he protested, his data flickering.  
"Tal, let's just go, _please_." Her partner nodded reluctantly so she picked him up in her other arm. Walking back a little, she ran and jumped off the cliff. "Thank you, Nyx." She pulled the cord hanging out of her backpack as she plummeted. Nyx had probably known this would happen. She always knew.

The parachute erupted as they neared the water, slowing their descent a little. Taran began to panic next to her, flailing his arms about as they sank into the water.

Aleena tugged her backpack off quickly and swam to the surface.

Talmon yelled, "Aleena, Taran isn't breathing!" He held up the little boy with his ears, but was having trouble staying on the surface himself.

Aleena growled, throwing them both out of the water and onto the nearby grass with what little strength she still had.

Aleena waited for a moment, her arms feeling heavy as she treaded water. She could give up now and never relive that moment. It would be so easy. All she had to do was stop moving and just sink. Slowly, she found her arms slowing and she began to slip under the surface.

" _Aleena!"_

Aleena opened her eyes, bubbles rushing out of her mouth as she frantically swam to the surface. Was that them? She couldn't give up—not now. It was her job now to come back and save them and so she had to live on and get stronger. Turning to Talmon and Taran, she began to swim with renewed vigour.

Clambering out, she placed her head on Taran's chest. The heartbeat was weak. Looking into his mouth, she gasped. "There's something blocking his throat." She stuck her hand inside, plucking the obstruction from his throat.

She looked it over. A small dead fish. Tossing it to one side, she pressed down a few times on Taran's chest and then breathed once into his mouth, leaning back.

Taran began to cough and splutter out the water he'd swallowed. "What happened?"

"You had lunch a little early," she said, leaning back. Withdrawing the flare gun from her hip, she fired it into the air. "Home time."

She collapsed next to Taran, looking into his eyes. "You're cold…"

He nodded.

She saw Reuben crash into a tree and flinched.

Taran muttered, "Aleena?"

Dazed, she replied, "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

The words shook her from her daydream. "What for?"

"Looking after me." He coughed in an almost pathetic manner but she still smiled.

"I'll always look after you, little man," she whispered, grabbing his hand. He was now the only tie she had to Nyx and Reuben.

Whirring helicopter blades filled the air as they lay there but she didn't want to move.

"Aleena, it's time to go," Talmon called as the helicopter touched down behind her head.

She wanted to cry, but she didn't see a need anymore. "Okay." Slowly standing up, she helped Taran to his feet. "You're not a runner." She smiled meekly as she saw him struggling to stand like a baby deer.

Taran shook his head, almost tearful.

She helped him into the helicopter and looked at the pilot as he climbed out of the vehicle and looked around. "Where are the other operatives?"

"They're gone."

* * *

 **So that's that. Feel free to give me feedback and let me know your thoughts.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Another plug for the website: there's lots of bonus info on the characters and the story on there that's increasing all the time. If you've got any questions, they may be answered there. There's also a guestbook and I'd love to hear from people! Link is in my profile.**


	11. Chapter Ten: Send Help

Aleena sat on the roof of the bedroom complex with a deck of cards in her hands. "You promised…" Squeezing the pack, she looked out into the dark night sky. "You promised we'd play tonight, and you lied." Aleena shook her head. "I'll forgive you if you turn up right now, both of you, and just sit here with me. We don't even have to play cards; we just have to be together." She breathed deeply, clenching her fist tighter around the cards and squashing some in the process.

A star twinkled slightly in the distance. "I trusted you two; you were strong, independent, and you weren't afraid of me. From the first moment you met me, nothing I did managed to scare you away. I can't believe you both took that attack like little girls." Aleena gritted her teeth as her throat felt like she'd swallowed a razor. Swallowing, she continued, "Reuben I can understand, but come on Nyx, you should be sat here with me now laughing about how he's a little girl… like we used to."

~.~.~

Conan sat behind a large air vent near Aleena listening to every word. He didn't quite know how to comfort her when she was like this. Usually she would get mad over something or other and he would stop her tirade and take her and the other kids out for ice cream. That couldn't happen this time. All he could now was sit and listen to her in pain. The worst part was, Aleena didn't even know that she was upset because she wasn't able to comprehend her own emotions. The only emotion he'd ever seen from her was fury, and even then it was rare to see her fully lose it.

~.~.~

"I just can't believe you two gave up so easily." She sighed. "And now I'm sat up here on my own. You two probably had this planned the whole time; a wedding without me to wreck it." Aleena arched her arm back to throw the cards away but stopped when her arm reached the edge and released her grip. What was the point? The cards fluttered about in the light breeze, most flying off into the sky around Home Base and disappearing. "I can't stay angry at you two, just come back in one piece, okay?" She stood up to leave but spotted Conan looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" she spat angrily.

He held up his hands, smiling. "Whoa there, lassie; you know you love it when I keep my ol' watchful eyes on you."

"You're not funny, you never were." She stormed towards the stairs but he moved in the way.

"Aleena..."

"Get out my way," she demanded, trying to push past.

"Aleena, they aren't coming back." Conan held firm as she pushed against him. He gripped onto her arms as she swung for his cheek.

"What do you know!" she screamed in his face, tugging herself free forcefully. "They're strong, they— they'll be okay!"

"Aleena, from what I've heard, they aren't coming back. You've gotta accept it. They're… Well, they're dead."

The final two words were what broke her. She collapsed, just barely being caught by Conan, and her eyes became jaded. They couldn't be. If she admitted it then that made it real and that was too much to bare. But what else was left?

Conan wrapped his arms around her as the wind blew past them.

Shaking her head slowly, she whispered, "They can't be."

"Aleena, sometimes we can't always win. We have to lose or the wins don't mean anything."

"Why did I have to lose _them_?" Aleena looked up at him, hoping, wishing for an answer.

Conan clenched his eyes shut, holding her closer. "I sure do wish I had an answer for you, darlin'; all I can say for sure is they'd want you to move on and be the strong lady you are." He looked down at her, his tired green eyes warm and inviting. "No matter what, everyone else still needs you. So, don't give up." He pulled her back into a hug, his strong arms making her feel somewhat safe when she felt like everything and anything could hurt her.

They stayed like that for a while before Aleena pushed him away and managed to stand up. She looked at him, thankful for him being there. She still felt unsteady on her feet but she would never admit any of these thoughts to Conan. That would be stupid. "I'm fine, whatever, I'm going." She brushed her hair back into place with her fingers and then staggered past Conan, using the various air vents for support.

"I just hope you keep going long enough," Conan whispered.

Aleena looked back as she reached the stairs and smiled. "Conan?"

Conan turned to look at her and grinned, tipping an imaginary hat. "Howdy?"  
"That mission you're going on tomorrow?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm coming."

"Are you sure, darlin'? It's all the way in the North Pole." Conan rubbed his hands together. "It's going to be cold and you know you don't deal well with—"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

Conan smiled. "Bright and early, then, lassie."

~.~.~

Taran slowly opened his eyes and his whole body began to ache as he became lucid. Glancing around the room, he realised it was familiar but it wasn't home. That meant those memories weren't a dream. Those strange people were real and that also meant that they were dead. Remembering the pain from last time, he decided not to struggle against the strange hospital stuff on his body.

Looking for Aleena, he saw she was absent and called out, "Help me!" His throat was dry and speaking hurt. Where was she? Was he going to be okay? He needed some answers.

A nurse walked over quickly. "What's the matter?" She checked over his equipment, taking glances at her watch and sighing repeatedly.

Taran was too nervous to ask her for anything but he was so thirsty. "Can I have some water, please?"

Looking him over, she rolled her eyes and said, "I'll see what I can do." She turned to leave.

"Excuse me?"

She turned back.

"Why am I here, Miss Nurse?"

"There are some tests to run still. We had to let you go early last time because of a nuisance." She left quickly, disappearing out of sight. Did she mean Aleena? Did that mean Aleena was okay?

Shortly after, a doctor walked past. Doctors had to be nice to patients, so Taran knew it was a good idea to ask him for help since the nurse still hadn't come back. "Excuse me, can you help me?" he asked quietly. The doctor briefly glanced over but kept walking. He repeated himself louder, "Excuse me, mister?"

The doctor sighed and walked over. Tapping his pen on the clipboard in his hand, he looked at Taran through half-closed eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like it here, I'm lonely. Please do you have any toys?" Taran smiled sweetly.

"No, we don't have any _toys_ ," he imitated with a sarcastic undertone. Smirking, he scribbled something on his clipboard. "If that's all then I'm going."

Taran was a little hurt but his mum had always told him to be nice and people would be nice to him. Grinning broadly, he said, "You're a really clever doctor, mister. Do you know why I'm here, mister?"

The doctor groaned, tightening his grip on the clipboard. "We don't know what to do with you yet, that's why."

Taran pouted. "Why not?"

Sighing, the doctor pulled the curtain around Taran's bed mostly closed, save for a small gap. "Idiotic child. Just be quiet and sit still." The doctor turned around, the curtain still in hand, but stopped.

"What was that?" a familiar voice asked, it sounded angry.

"I," he stammered, fiddling with the fabric belt on his white doctor's coat. "Nothing, I'm leaving."

Taran looked closer and saw Aleena was close to the doctor's face.

Aleena grabbed onto his coat, pulling him near. "Insult him again and I'll make it the last thing you do." Thrusting him back a little, she glared at him while staying close to his face.

The doctor returned the gaze for a while but eventually left.

Aleena seemed really angry. Her fists were tensed and she stole the apple at the end of his bed. He assumed she wanted to eat it but she turned and threw it at the doctor, almost knocking him over as he walked away.

Taran laughed—it was really funny, but mean.

Aleena looked over at Taran; she wasn't laughing. She sat down on the same chair as last time but didn't talk.

A chunk of blue hair fell down in front of her left eye, splaying out like a curtain. She stared into space, not seeming to notice for the longest time. "Taran, are you okay?" It almost seemed forced because she didn't look at him, simply continuing to stare through her hair into nothingness.

"I think I am." He fumbled with the bed sheets. Seeing her look sad, he realised he had to pretend to be happy. "I'm better now you're here!" he chirped, beaming.

"That's… That's good." Aleena breathed heavily, gripping her jeans tightly.

He waited for her to continue but she didn't. "Are you okay?" She didn't reply and it made him regret it. Looking down at his hands he blurted, "I'm sorry—"

"It's fine." She smiled weakly. "I'm great. I don't need emotions anymore; they just hold me back."

"Anymore? I don't get it. Were you angry because of me?" He was so confused, why was she angry?

Aleena pulled the stray hair behind her ear but still didn't look at him. "I tried to be angry but I couldn't. I just felt… nothing." She seemed to be elsewhere, her eyes were flitting about as if she was following a game of tennis, like his dad used to watch on TV. "I thought it was a choice: emotions or not. But it isn't." Shaking her head, she looked at him, more hairs falling down over her face. "Don't worry about me, you recover fast and then we'll go on another mission."

Taran gulped. That sounded terrifying. "I'm not sure I want to, s— sorry."

Aleena's eyes locked onto him. "Wasn't the forest pretty?"

Taran gasped. "Of course! The butterflies and the trees and the animals and the sky were so pretty!"

Aleena seemed a little irritated. "The jump was fun, too, right?"

Taran nodded. "It was kinda scary too."

Aleena pulled all her hair back behind her small, almost doll-like, ears and then tied it up but still didn't say anything. Taran could only assume she was in deep thought. "Then why don't you want to go again?" Aleena's face lit up briefly. "I'll make sure we go somewhere pretty and do something twice as fun."

Taran bit his lip. It was really difficult to say no but he was so scared. However, if he said no he would upset her and he didn't want to do that either. Nyx and Ben had gone to stay with God, and he didn't want Aleena or Leon to move away too. Mulling it over, he decided to lie. "I was scared when you left me in the forest."

"I won't leave you alone this time. I promise." She grabbed hold of his hand, rubbing it.

Aleena moved her hand away and stood up. Pulling back the curtain, she stared at the door.

Taran frowned. She was leaving already? "Where are you going?"

Aleena jumped, reaching for the gun on her hip but exhaled as she saw it was Taran. "The North Pole; if you have any messages for Santa then I'll take them for you," she said, her voice completely different to the one she used on the others.

Taran frowned, he'd missed Christmas. And he hadn't had Christmas dinner with his family or fought with Harry over him being a stupid head. "I missed Christmas and I didn't see Santa. I even tried really super dooper hard to stay up for him this year."

"That reminds me." Aleena reached into the bedside drawer and withdrew a small parcel. "This is a little something from the fat man himself. You should look after it now you're better." She handed it to him, smiling.

Taran felt a grin forming by itself. He only hoped it was the new dinosaur he'd asked for. "Thank you so much, I love you!" He cheered perkily.

~.~.~

Aleena smiled weakly, still reeling due to the latter part of what he had said. Behind her, the double doors burst open and she could hear Leon's noisy whistling. She sighed. "Note to self: avoid the hospital if I want peace and quiet."

Leon stopped, noticing them in the corner of his eye. He turned and looked at them, grinning. "You're such a softy." He started laughing.

"Shut up," she growled, hurling the lamp at him.

He ducked and it shattered above the empty bed opposite. "That was a close one." He winked.

"You don't get two warning shots," she seethed. The annoying curly hair made her blood boil, as did the voice. He was the last person she wanted to see. Especially now.

"I'm shaking," he teased, grinning. Turning his attention to Taran, he asked, "So how are you, little guy?" He walked over to the bed and stood on the other side, putting his hands into his pockets and leaning back on his feet. He blew a pink bubble and popped it, sucking it back in and blowing another.

"Go away; he doesn't need annoying little flies, like you, around him." Aleena clenched her fists, he was second away from her removing his head from his body forcibly.

 _Pop!_ Without looking up, he said, "I was wondering what the smell was in here, but now I know it's rubbish. And everyone knows rubbish attracts flies. I think the rubbish that lured me here is sat on a red chair and has gross green hair." He blew a bubble again.

Aleena reached onto the bed next to her, lifting the mattress to throw it.

 _Pop!_ "No need to get so mad." He laughed, holding up his hands. "I was only kidding."

Aleena dropped the mattress and thumped it hard, gritting her teeth. "Why are you always so annoying?"

 _Pop!_ "It's who I am." He beamed brightly.

Aleena sighed, trying to remember what Conan had taught her about counting or adding or something to calm down. Numbers just annoyed her more though. "Why are you here?"

"Oh! See, I'm on the mission with you today and I came to see—"

"Goodie," she groaned sarcastically.

"I'm coming too!"

The familiar voice made Aleena recoil into herself. "What did I do to deserve them both?" _Pop!_ If he didn't stop that infernal sound she was going to have to take him to the torture block.

"Who's that?" Taran asked, looking at the strange girl with red hair as she cartwheeled from the door all the way to the end of his bed.

Bouncing into the air, she chirped, "I'm Rori Lizbeth, thirteen, female, and just about the most fun redhead you'll ever meet."

Aleena interjected, "There's a part of that sentence that isn't true, Taran."

"The female part is still in question." Leon started laughing at his own joke and a smile seemed to crack on Aleena's face too as Rori hit him playfully on the shoulder.

"Our partners are all waiting outside, the hospital policy sucks." Rori collapsed onto Taran's bed, exhaling. Abruptly, she burst back up. "I want hot chocolate. I wonder if they have any."

Aleena groaned. "Go find some, please." _Pop!_ Looking at Leon, she said, "Even better, both of you go. And don't come back."

"Why don't you like them? They're so nice and happy!" Taran cocked his head to the side.

"Because I'm funny and she isn't," Leon said, sticking his tongue—coloured pink from the gum—out.

Closing her eyes and mouthing the numbers one to five, she exhaled. Maybe it did work. She looked at Taran, smiling. "They're stupid, that's why."

"I like Leon, he's my friend!" Taran said, grinning broadly.

"And me?" Rori asked, tickling his tummy.

"You're— super— friendly!" he managed to squeak in between laughs.

"You'll change your mind if you're with them for any length of time." Aleena took a drink of the water on the bedside table and gagged. "This is gross." Aleena looked it over. "Is it even water?"

 _Pop!_ "Maybe it's… you know…" Leon winked.

Aleena tossed the glass at him but he ducked and started laughing. "I hate you," she spat.

"Hey, mister, do you make hot chocolate?" Rori called to a doctor as he rushed behind a patient curtain.

Swallowing his gum, Leon's face became serious. "Rori, he's busy."

Aleena ignored them both. They could argue to death for all she cared. "So why are you two coming? They don't need you when they have me."

"Conan thinks it's a good idea that we keep you company." Leon winked and Rori nodded exuberantly, standing up next to him.

" _Comfort_ me, either of you, and I'll snap you in two," she stated firmly, pointing at them both.

"Hugs cure everything!" Rori chirped, holding her arms out.

Aleena prepared to throw something at the persistently irritating tree hugger but beeping filled all of the hospital. Aleena tried to find her pager but suddenly an image of Nyx's and Ben's bodies appeared and she was warped back. Her ears were ringing, throbbing, and she couldn't move.

~.~.~

"Aleena!" Rori screamed as she shook Aleena. The fiery green haired girl was laid on the floor, covering her head and sweating profusely. "Aleena, you have to wake up!" Rori was frantic and Taran was crying. Turning to her male companion, she yelled, "Leon, go get someone!"

He nodded and rushed off.

"Aleena, what's wrong?" She knew when Conan said Aleena would need them for company that it had to be bad.

Aleena's pupils were shaking from side to side but the rest of her was completely unresponsive.

Rori lay down next to her. "Aleena, please get up." She touched the girl's cheek but suddenly Aleena's hand wrapped around her neck, squeezing tight. Gasping for air, Rori struggled, pushing against Aleena's face but the grip was inescapable. "Hel—!" she wheezed. Her mind began to become foggy and she wanted to regret trying to help Aleena but she didn't. She just hoped that this would help her friend with whatever she was dealing with. Rori closed her eyes, her head becoming too foggy.

Suddenly, she heard a rush of people shouting and screaming and felt the hand release from her throat. Opening her eyes, she saw doctors restraining Aleena while she was dragged back by Leon.

"Rori, are you okay?" Leon asked, looking over her and touching her neck lightly.

"I'm scared!" Taran wailed, his quilt up to his face and knees into his chest.

"It's okay, buddy!" Leon called, briefly looking away but he quickly returned his gaze to Rori as she grimaced from the stabbing sensations spreading up and down her neck.

"I'm—" Rori rubbed her neck and winced at the pain. "I'm fine, is she okay?"

"She tried to strangle you and you're still worried about her." Leon laughed. "She's fine, they're going to sedate her." Leon paused as he realised the alarms were still going and checked his pager. "Don't inject her!" he yelled, pulling the doctor away. "Rori, check your pager!" He slapped Aleena in the face and she reached to grab him, but when she failed to grab on, she slowly began to shake. "Aleena, we have to go; we're being attacked!"

~.~.~

Aleena tried to comprehend the rush of sound and noise but when she heard that they were being attacked she felt her heart go into overdrive. "Let's go; Taran, we'll be back." She pushed past the doctors and staggered towards the exit with Rori.

"Where are you going?" Taran called.

"Stay here!" she said firmly as Leon ran up next to them. The three charged out of the doors but were shocked by what they saw.

~.~.~

"I promise…" Taran lowered his little finger. "I hope you're okay…" He heard the doctors grumbling about the three but ignored it and began to look around a little. This hospital was quite small but it still had a few beds. There were four with curtains pulled around them but he could see the rest were vacant. The clinically clean whitewashed walls and blue flooring made him feel uncomfortable. The lack of any posters also added to his discomfort. Everyone who worked here was old too and he couldn't talk to them. He wished that his friends, or even his brothers and sisters, had been abducted too. It was so lonely right now. Remembering the pain from before, he knew he couldn't move too much; although, he was fidgeting with the bed sheets almost constantly. "I'm bored," he surmised.

~.~.~

Andrew looked at his appearance in the reflection of his silver pager; his lapel had a speck of dust, so he flicked it off. He looked back to survey the hall again. However, no matter how much he reminded himself of the importance of the duty, or tried to find things to do, nothing detracted away from the boredom of standing guard outside Lord Kayran's office. The old framed photos of the past RODAF leaders had been ingrained into his mind over time.

Suddenly, Andrew was broken from his daze as he heard Lord Kayran yelling furiously from inside of the office. That could mean trouble but he knew better than to disturb the leader of RODAF without express permission to do so. "Lord Kayran?" He knocked on the dark wooden door. "I'm coming in, sir." He opened the door but Kayran looked annoyed.  
"Outside, now!"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, sir." An order was an order. "Outside of your office or—?"

"Outside the building!"

"Yes, sir." Turning to G-Mon, who was hovering nervously at the door, he nodded. "Let's go!" Running past his partner, he rushed down the hallway. It had to be something bad if Kayran was relieving him of guard duty.

Bursting out of the big rectangular glass doors they both looked around in shock. "This isn't good, G-Mon." He panicked a little but forced himself to remain calm.

"What do we do now, Andy?" his timid partner asked.

"We do our job," a voice announced.

They both turned to see King walking up to them, stretching his arm muscles. His bald head shone brightly in the morning sun. He was grinning and seemed almost excited. It made Andrew feel a sense of ease that such a strong RODAF operative was there, coupled with Calmoonmon.

"You're lucky I'm not on a mission or I'm pretty sure you two would be stood here for hours." He hiccupped and slipped a flask into a pocket of his white suit.

"King, shall we move?" Calmoonmon asked. Her hazy voice was mesmerising as she sat on the roof of the office complex.

King looked up. "You're ready?"

"Yes."

"Let's crack some skulls."

* * *

 **What is it that is waiting outside of Home Base? What's in King's flask? What's happened to Aleena? Just how deep does Rori's obsession with the colourful-haired female go? All will be revealed.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Bleeding Heart

Was that really? Leon couldn't find the words to encourage himself or his teammates as they looked ahead. He tried to count their enemies but found it difficult to focus as he saw the massacred bodies, Digieggs and destruction of his home.

"This is kinda scary, Leon."

Leon looked at his partner, his closest friend and felt the anger and fear fade a little. Oobmon was counting on him to be strong. "I know, pal."

"Aleena?" Talmon's little black beady eyes looked up at his partner.

Aleena seemed to snap out of some sort of trance. Hopefully she wouldn't go crazy again. "Let's take back our home."

Loud cries came from the Rest Complex as people tried to keep the doors blockaded against the attacks of the dragon Digimon. Somewhat luckily, rubble scattered everywhere obscured the bulk of the tragedy. Leon wasn't sure he could face seeing that many dead bodies of people who he had known and spoken to.

"Airdramon, I think," Rori muttered. "I saw some on my mission in France yesterday."

"I don't think they're searching. Their focus is just destruction," Talmon commented.

"Pseudo Digimon?" Oobmon asked tentatively. It was a good suggestion, for sure.

"I don't think so, probably a loose portal opened nearby and they forced their way through the barrier." Talmon pulled Aleena's T-shirt. "Well?"

She still hadn't moved. Aleena shook her head. "I— I'm fine."

The eviscerated body of one of their comrades was thrown at their feet and then the Airdramon responsible began to fly towards them, its red tatty wings beating excitedly.

"I don't want to fight him, I don't think," Oobmon muttered. His partner was gentle natured, and not really cut out for field work, but Leon loved and supported him regardless.

"Be brave, buddy." Leon smiled and rubbed Oobmon's luminous white body.

The dirty feathers on the tip of its tail and encircling its head fluttered as it shot towards them. The foul smell from the beast became more apparent as it got closer until it stopped just a little away and began to watch them. The jaw of the ragged mismatched teeth grated against the skull helmet as the Digimon breathed.

Oobmon flew back a little, staying close to Leon.

"Move, it's going to attack!" Aleena exclaimed. She reached on her hip for her gun but realised that the medical staff had taken it from her. "Dammit!" She dived to the side, Talmon following her.

Oobmon flew up into the sky as Rori and Orchidemon ran after Aleena. "Leon!

"I can't, if this hospital is destroyed, she'll—!" Leon gritted his teeth. This was his burden to bear, no one else's. "I have to stay!"

"Are you kidding? You'll barely be a shield!" Aleena yelled.

"Leon!" Oobmon began to fly back down.

Airdramon flew up and flapped its wings, unleashing blades of air.

Leon gathered his resolve and held his arms up, trying to make himself bigger. The glass was slightly reinforced but it wouldn't hold up and if that Digimon got in there... He couldn't think about that now. His clothing and flesh were decimated as the blades of wind tore into his body, throwing him back into the doors. Pain throbbed from each individual cut but there was too many for his brain to tell him anything other than to try not to move.

Oobmon flew straight at Airdramon and disappeared with an audible pop. "Shining Orbit!" Brief flashes of the Digimon appeared around Airdramon while the latter was paralyzed. Then the flashes began to linger until there were several Oobmon who all flew inwards, sending out blasts of data and reforming into a single Oobmon in front of a Digiegg.

Oobmon flew over to Leon and nudged him with his little white body. "Leon, why did you do that?"

Leon pushed himself up, leaning on the doors briefly for balance. "We have to stop them."

"You could have gotten hurt." Oobmon flew up to his face. "I didn't want to see that." His voice was trembling.

"I didn't." Leon smiled, rubbing his partner's body. "Because I have you."

Aleena cracked her neck. "Whatever." She looked at Talmon. "Let's go."

"I'll help!" Rori chimed excitedly.

Leon stood up as he saw another Airdramon on its way. "Think we can handle another one?"

Oobmon quivered and turned around. "I'll try. For you." He flew off as the Airdramon unleashed a torrent of white needles. The attack knocked Oobmon to the ground and they dug into Leon, throwing him back into the doors.

"Be quick," he grumbled, coughing out a mouthful of blood.

~.~.~

Talmon lifted his paw while Orchidemon flew forwards. The lime green glyph appeared like always, spewing out seven blue dragon ghosts, which shot straight towards Airdramon. Collectively, the attack managed to restrain Airdramon, although Talmon was struggling to keep his paws on the ground.

Aleena looked at the Airdramon and balled up her fists. It wasn't much, and it wasn't always by choice, but this was her home. Exploding into a sprint, she reached onto her hip and cursed. She was going to kill those doctors one day. Stopping, she leapt back and covered her face as a chunk of rubble from another battle crashed into the ground in front of her. Lifting her foot, she placed it on a chunk of rubble rolling towards her and then bent down and picked it up. Easily big enough.

Aleena began to run as Orchidemon's roots wrapped around Airdramon.

"Planting!" the sentient plant Digimon floated above Airdramon, straining to hold the dragon Digimon still, even with Talmon's assistance.

Aleena leapt into the air, the large block of rock still in her hands as she landed in between the shoulder blades of Airdramon. Roaring, she lifted the large rock above her head and began to smack it repeatedly into Airdramon's head. The Digimon's neck drooped first and then the body followed until it was on the floor and she finally climbed off, leaving the rock on its head.

Orchidemon's roots and Talmon's dragons flew back as the former flew into the air with her wings glistening. Pink petals appeared all around her and flew at Airdramon like floral bullets, tearing into Airdramon.

Aleena shot a glance at Rori, who was having trouble ordering her partner to deal the finishing blow. Everything was up to her as usual. "Orchidemon. Finish it!" Aleena yelled.

The Digimon reluctantly repeated the attack, causing Airdramon to explode into data.

Rori shook her head. "I can't believe this."

"Rori, I can't do this alone! And we seem to be the only field operatives about!" Walking over, she punched Rori. "You need to fight!"

Rori touched her cheek and then looked at Aleena before nodding. "We're not enough though. There's too many."

"Help has arrived!" King ran past them and punched one of the Airdramon, throwing it backwards with the force of the right hook. Coupled with his natural strength and Simyan's Strength Pill version three, King had a dangerous punch.

Calmoonmon appeared behind the Airdramon and raised her leg. "Crescent Moon Crush." The glistening pink leg flew straight down through the Airdramon, splitting it into two halves. The data quickly reformed into a Digiegg, which Calmoonmon stepped over casually.

~.~.~

Leon gasped desperately for air. His vision was hazy and he had long since lost the ability to stand in one place. He staggered from side to side, trying to protect her. "I think…" Leon touched his abdomen. "I've lost some blood." He lifted his wet hand to look. The attack missed, hitting the ground in front of him and spraying him with sharp rubble.

He couldn't think straight anymore as the jaw cracking grew louder and his vision got darker. Whistling was just about audible above the ringing in his ears. He took in a deep breath and then collapsed to the floor as the attack landed.

However, there was no pain. Perhaps he had just gotten immune. Leon forced his eyes open and managed to make out a pair of black trousers. Andrew. "W— why?"

"We're comrades."

Leon tried to give a snarky answer, even managing to open his mouth, but his brain gave up and his eyesight became nothing but black.

~.~.~

Aleena looked around and saw her comrades fighting against the Digimon but it was a losing battle. There seemed to be far too many Airdramon and they were all getting a little tired.

"Aleena, not slacking are you?" King called as pink swirls of energy spun around Calmoonmon until her whole body was glowing.

"Shut up." Aleena looked over at him and then she heard something. "King!"

King didn't seem to hear and ran forwards at the Airdramon ahead. Seconds later, he was thrown backwards.

Calmoonmon broke from her trance, the energy dissipating, and caught King as smoke and rubble flew at them. "I'll deal with this, King." Calmoonmon set her partner down as he recovered and ran through the quickly clearing smoke and towards the large black dog-like creature that had seemingly fallen from the sky.

" _I do not have time for you._ " The black dog's mouth didn't move as it spoke. Spinning its head, it glared at Calmoonmon and the look alone threw Calmoonmon back as if she had been struck hard.

Calmoonmon skidded to a halt beside King and clutched her abdomen. "It's strong."

The beast shook its head, rattling the spiked silver collar against its bony frame. " _I am looking for the Chosen One_."

"They're not home!" King yelled, standing up with his fists curling into tight balls.

The dog-Digimon turned its head as an Airdramon approached and white-blue tendrils burst from the ground, piercing it and then all of the remaining Airdramon, turning them all back into Digieggs in seconds. " _I see. Then you must all forget my presence_." It opened its mouth and a sphere of dark energy began to amass.

"This looks bad…" Talmon muttered.

In the blink of an eye, a chain appeared, swinging around the creature's mouth and then a shadow flew up from the ground, smacking the jaw shut as the chain clamped closed.

"Is it a Dobermon?" Rori muttered.

"Pseudo Digimon…" Orchidemon muttered.

"I agree." Aleena was only half-paying attention while she tried to work out what had just happened.

The figure, now human-looking, stepped backwards away from Dobermon. They were clad head-to-toe in black bandages.

"Is that?"

King shook his head. "It could only be one person."

Aleena's lips curled into a snarl. "Her."

~.~.~

She looked upon her opponent, judging its strength. "Abnormally high. Even for a PD."

Red lasers erupted from the air around the oversized Dobermon, arcing through the air towards her.

She sprinted forwards, reaching onto her back and darting side to side to avoid the multiple attacks. Withdrawing the small blade from its scabbard, she leapt into the air, spinning while she did and brought the blade through the Digimon's right foreleg. Jumping back, she used the blade to block the last laser as Dobermon mirrored her retreat.

The colossal Digimon opened its mouth, snapping the chains and amassing a ball of black energy.

She held out her hand, ready to control the chain, but a voice broke her focus.

"There's something on its back! I think it's a person!" It was unknown for a PD to have a human partner or to associate with humans at all. It had to be a trick. Perhaps the target was inserting the voice into her head.

The ball of jet black plasma flew forwards, causing the air to ripple and distort. Without hesitating, she pulled her hand towards her, clenching it as she did and the large chain flew back towards her and melded its shape until it was a large shield between her and her opponent. Thrusting both hands into the pouches that hung at her waist, she withdrew metal filings and tossed them into the air around her. She held out her palms and they formed a plethora of metal blades, suspended in the air. Thrusting her arms forward, she unleashed the attack as the grey mass of energy crashed into her shield and threw her and it back into the Rest Complex. She had misjudged that PD's strength.

Her ears rang painfully as she lay in the rubble, the shield on top of her along with chunks of rock. Using what little movement she had in her wrist, she flicked it up and the shield levitated off her and fell to the side. That Rock Serum was still working, it seemed. And the strength, speed and focus pills weren't causing any side-effects as of yet. Maybe she would be fine—what did Simyan know anyway?

The knives were hanging out of the Dobermon as if it were a pincushion. Clenching her fist, she caused them all to bury deeper as pink ball to her right spoke up.

"I'll fight."

She ripped the torn black bandages from her face, allowing her scarlet hair to spill out onto her shoulders. "Never again."

"Bu—"

Turning, she locked her jade green eyes onto her Digimon partner. "Seemon, I will _not_ repeat myself."

"Alice…"

Alice stood up, tying her hair into a bun with one of the bandages and looked back at Seemon. "Stay safe."

"Fine."

Alice nodded and walked forwards, waving both arms to the side and dragging the knives out of the Digimon, releasing spirals of data. The knives flew back to her, forming a mist of iron filings. Blood trickled down her face, obscuring the vision in her right eye slightly. She pointed her blade. "Free your captive human."  
" _Interfere and I will end your life_." The Dobermon bared its teeth.

"The eyes." Flicking both her wrists up into the air, she reformed the iron filings into more long thin needles than she could count. A blue-white tendril flew up out of the ground, nearly impaling her and only being stopped thanks to the hyper-reflexes from the Speed Pill Version Two. She ran forwards, avoiding more tendrils that erupted from the ground and keeping the needles close by.

As Alice got close, she flicked her finger upwards and the panels of Home Base tore free and created a series of stepping stones. Gritting her teeth, she felt the mental strain placed on her as she continued to use this stupid ability that had been forced upon her. The tendrils flew up after her but it was too late. She clenched her fist as she got near its head and the needles flew forwards.

However, they didn't get any further than a foot or two before they froze, shaking and pushing back against her. Alice's brain screamed as she tried to hold them steady and her body throbbed from the strain until she, and everything she was levitating, were thrown backwards.

" _I have no more time to waste. It seems that the digital life force Gen'nai mentioned was not the chosen and likely you, Digital Thief._ " Dobermon paused, looking upwards. " _You can keep your stolen gifts, I am not here to claim them. But I will not spare your life if I face you again_."

Alice stood up, shakily, and levitated a panel of Home Base. "You won't get the chance to face me again!" She threw her arm forwards, launching the panel.

Dobermon's laugh echoed throughout Home Base. It was almost eerie. With a swirl of blue energy around its body, the Digimon disappeared.

Alice felt her heart throb in her chest. Damn, Simyan had been right. A human body could only take so many different enhancements before it gave way. Clutching her chest as stabbing pains flew throughout it, she felt her consciousness wane until she fell over and it was all dark.

~.~.~

Aleena ran towards the crater and heard Seemon shouting. That stupid experiment all that time ago had caused Alice to be like this. It wasn't fair. It was never fair.

"You promise you'd never leave me, Alice!" That whiny voice of Alice's partner, Seemon.

Aleena leapt into the crater, taking in the situation as the little pink Digimon with a large scar across its body glared at her. "Out the way." She grabbed the ball of fluff and tossed it away so she could place her head on Alice's chest without disturbance. Aleena was listening for a tiny bit of movement—something that would signify a beating heart. Like a miracle sent from above, she heard a gentle thump. "I can hear a beat."

"CPR." Talmon grabbed Seemon as he leapt, teeth bared at Aleena.

She couldn't lose Alice, not now Aleena finally knew she had a family. Even if she did hate Alice for not being there. Aleena placed her hands onto Alice's chest and interlocked her fingers before pushing up and down. She began to count aloud to keep pace, "One, two, three…" Alice was her sister and she wouldn't let anything separate them, not now when she needed her family the most.

Tal spoke up. "This isn't working. Let's take her to the hospital."

How could he suggest she wasn't enough? Aleena would save her sister and then she could explain everything. She could explain why they had never spoken; why they had barely seen each other. Aleena was not going to give up. "No! We have to do something _now_." Aleena breathed twice into Alice's mouth and then continued compressions.

"Get off her!" Seemon yelled.

Aleena shook her head. "I'm not giving up." She raised her arms above her head and brought them down quick, thumping the chest hard. Placing her ear to the chest, she still couldn't hear anything. As she blinked, she saw Nyx in front of her. "No!" she pushed hard and harder down onto the chest, trying to force that heart to work. Tears began to run down her face, dripping onto her hands. Every time she blinked, their bodies would swap and remind her of those she had lost. First Nyx, then Reuben, then Alice, and then back to Nyx. This wasn't fair! "Wake up!"

She screamed and grasped at her head, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Was any of this even real? There. A wire. Pulling the wire loose, she cut it with her penknife and held the two ends together. A spark danced between the cables as she looked down at their bodies. "I'm not letting you go." She touched the wires to Reuben's chest, watching him convulse briefly before she removed them. She had to do this. Alice appeared and she placed them to her chest, seeing her body dance again before she moved the wires back. She would save them; all of them.

"Aleena!"

Aleena turned to look at her partner and shook her head. There was no way he could even start to understand. Digimon didn't have families. Clenching her fists, she yelled, "They're my best friends, and she's my family!"

"Aleena…" Hearing him like that pained her too, but she had to be strong.

Aleena looked down at the body and saw Alice cough up blood.

"You were never meant to know." What did she mean?

Aleena frowned. "Know what?"

"I _was_ your sister." Alice grasped her chest. "Now, I don't need family." Inhaling sharply, she continued, "Let me die." Was? How could you stop being related to someone? After all the time she had been alone, and now this? Damn it!

Aleena stood up and began to walk away. She didn't care about anything anymore.

"Aleena…" Talmon dropped Seemon, who eagerly ran over to his partner.

"Let her die." Aleena looked back briefly as Seemon nudged her.

"Alice, Alice wake up!" the little pink ball yelled.

~.~.~

King pushed open the hospital doors, yelling, "It's safe, we need your help!"

"Leon!" Rori yelled.

Andrew kept his hands on a gaping wound in Leon's chest. "Help!" He turned to Rori. "Go help other operatives!"

Rori was almost hysterical. "But— I… Leon!"

The doctors and nurses rushed out, taking Leon inside.

Rori rushed after them. "Leon!"

King looked at Calmoonmon and saw her data peeling. It was as he thought. That attack had been too much for her.

"King!" Calmoonmon looked at her peeling hands.

King had expected her to turn back into Moonmon—her rookie form—but she continued to peel more and more until she reformed into a small white Digiegg with pink dots. He felt his heart sink. "I'm sorry." This was goodbye. RODAF's protocol was to send back or destroy all Digieggs. He could only hope it was the former now.

~.~.~

Rori heard footsteps. Rousing from her light sleep, she lifted her head off Leon's bed.

Lord Kayran adjusted his army jacket. "Operatives Rori and Andrew, you have a mission."

It had only been a few hours since it all happened and Rori still had no idea where Aleena was or if Leon would be okay. "Can't we just—?"

"You're healthy, so you'll do as I say."

"With all due respect, I don't think we're in a fighting state, sir." Andrew looked up from his chair on the other side of Leon's bed.

"You can move, can't you?"

"Sir?" Rori caught Kayran's attention. "What about Aleena? And King?"

"King is on temporary leave from his duties as a Field Operative and Aleena has defected."

"Defected?"

Taran called from across the room. "What's defected mean?"

"She's ill," Rori said sullenly. She should have been there for her friend.

Taran gasped. "Is she okay?"

Kayran rubbed his temples. "It means she has left RODAF." He withdrew a tan booklet. "Your mission statement." He tossed it onto the bed and left promptly.

Andrew groaned and got up from his chair. "What does it say?"

Rori opened the booklet. "Ikkakumon from the mission I completed the other week is back. He brought friends. The digital tear has been plugged but the Digimon are still free."

"You are useless." Andrew snatched the booklet.

Rori stood up and looked down at Leon while Andrew read the booklet. Rubbing his hand, avoiding the cannula on the back of it, she smiled and she could have sworn he did too.

"You're going?" Taran asked.

"Just for a little while. I promise I'll be back." Rori winked. "You wait for me, okay?" Spinning on her heels, she skipped out. "Time to go!"

* * *

 **What was that power Alice used? How will Rori and Aleena deal with their losses? What's Rori's mission? And will Taran even actually learn something from these people?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Orphans

Talmon looked up at her as they walked through the streets of downtown Sabhailte. "Aleena?"

Aleena continued looking ahead; she couldn't look back now. "Yeah?"

"I'm not sure we should have left RODAF."

She looked up at the sky. "It's all too much right now."

Talmon tentatively, with a wavering tone, asked, "Do you remember what happens to Digimon and those harbouring them without an active RODAF permit?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we need a plan, Aleena."

Aleena clenched her fists. "Let them come; they won't take you from me, Talmon." She looked down at the street sign '[ _Downtown] Sector Three - Benedict Street_ '. "I know somewhere we can stay."

Leaping onto her head, Talmon grabbed onto her shoulders with his ears. "They won't take you from me, either."

~.~.~

Rachel walked into the hospital, checking her reflection in the pink compact mirror she was holding. She was bored of organising supplies for the repairs and the temptation of Leon's sleeping body was too much for her to bare any longer. He was just ahead now, his delectable body was beneath that white sheet.

"Can you get me a glass of water?" Who on earth would interrupt her quest?

Looking down at the little brown haired child in the bed next to Leon's, she growled, "I'm not a nurse."

"Pretty please with sprinkles, they said I should I rest." He grinned brightly, his cheeks so high they pushed his eyes closed.

Rachel cursed under her breath, the karma she would lose wasn't worth it. "Fine, wait there." Walking over to the water dispenser, she rolled her eyes as she filled up a cup. "I hate children."

She walked slowly back over; her gaze falling onto Leon distracted her as she held out the cup for the boy.

He reached for it, but missed and knocked it all over her black cocktail dress.

She had worn this especially for Leon and now it was ruined! "You stupid child!" Raising a hand to hit him, she stopped herself as a nurse glared at her. Rachel narrowed her eyes and leaned in close. Through bared teeth, she hissed, "Watch what you're doing in future." Readjusting her dress, she stormed over to Leon.  
"What about my water?" He held out the cup.

"Get your own damn water!"

Standing by Leon's bedside, she watched his adorable sleeping face. The scars that covered him were less manly and more disfiguring but she dismissed it—they had medicine for that anyway—he was still beautiful. "Did you miss me, darling?" she whispered, leaning in.

He stirred a little, muttering something.

"You can hear my voice! I knew I was the one for you!" She grinned, stroking his hand. "I'll be here when you wake up, cutie pie." She leaned in to kiss him.

"Rori…"

His sleepy voice was cute but what he had said almost made her lose it there and then. Gathering herself, she realised it was probably just a bad dream. "The ginger idiot? She's gone. But I'm here." She bit her lip, stroking his face.

Leon began to snore, rolling over.

"This is going to be a long wait." Pulling up a chair, she sighed.

~.~.~

Looking up at the familiar old building, Aleena smiled. The proportion of boarded windows to working windows probably violated building regulations and the big wooden front doors were just barely hanging onto the rusty hinges. Knocking on the door, she waited.

It opened, but it was on a chain. "Who are you?" The voice was female, but it had been ravaged by cigarettes.

"It's me, Liz." Aleena looked at the dark brown eye that was poking out. "I'm… I'm home." The smell of bourbon, cigarettes and liquorice filled her nostrils as she got a little closer to the face behind the door.

"Ally…"

Aleena looked down at her feet. "I'm just kinda sorry I left and—" The door slammed shut and Aleena felt herself deflate like a punctured tyre.

It sprung back open abruptly, fully this time. A woman with an old purple dress rushed out, wrapping her arms—and her dirty grey shawl—around Aleena.

"We all missed you _so_ much." She kissed her repeatedly on the head, her dry lips peppering Aleena's hair with a familiar feeling.

"I'm sorry." Aleena returned the hug, feeling the warmth emanate from it. It had been a long time since she had hugged anyone. It was a strange feeling.

"It's fine, it's fine! Come on in." She ushered them inside. Her huge bottom bounced as she walked back inside, the dirty blonde hair mimicking it all the while.

The old staircase that took up most of the entrance hall reminded Aleena of so many fond moments. The rooms either side were filled with cots, in which children and babies slept soundly; it was still early in the morning, after all. Everything was covered in dust, like it always had been, but she was glad that the sound of children coughing was no longer constantly present.

Talmon tugged on her shirt. "What is this place? It looks like it's from that movie we watched the other week. It gets blown up while chasing the bad guys."  
Aleena looked around the familiar building and felt nostalgic. "I grew up here."

Talmon peered into the room to the right. "It looks like a rundown hospital."

Aleena resisted taking offence, Tal wasn't trying to be mean. She had never told him about any of this; she had never told anyone. "It's Liz and Bertha's orphanage."

Liz stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning around. "We've needed your _special skills_ for a while, Ally, my dear."

"Someone's missing?" Aleena remembered what 'services' she used to provide all too well. The skills she learned had served her well during her time at RODAF.

"Me and Bertha were out food shopping the other week and some of the children were." Liz dabbed at her eyes with her shawl. "Kidnapped. They were taken by that Chinese mafia gang again."

Aleena looked down at the dirty wooden floorboards. "I see…"

"I still have your old penknife." Was that?

Aleena looked up to see a skinny black woman with a frizzy black afro descending slowly. Her white dress was covered in dirt, much like the faded blue apron she wore over the top. She handed the small red penknife to Aleena, smiling warmly. "Aunty Bertha." She felt more than a little guilty for the replacement penknife in her back pocket but she vowed never to use it now she had this back.

Bertha opened her mouth to speak but Liz tapped her on the shoulder. "I can't get the children in the back to settle down, you'll be able to."

Nodding, Bertha walked off into one of the rooms with her head hung low.

Liz grabbed onto Aleena's hands, looking her in the eyes. "If you could please find them." Her weathered hands rubbed over Aleena's.

Aleena gripped Liz's hands. This was the least she could do after all they did for her. "I'll try my best. Where abouts are they?"

"Thank you so much!" She shook Aleena's hands and grinned. Reaching between her breasts, she withdrew a slip of paper and handed it to Aleena. "Sector three, Johnson Street, you'll remember the building."

"Alright, I guess I'll be back soon." Aleena waved and walked back outside with Talmon.

As soon as they were outside and the door was closed, Talmon said, "So, the Bertha woman. She is your family?"

Aleena shrugged. It was a strange question. "As good as, she raised me."

"And you do _things_ for Liz?"

Well, Liz was family too, but that was beside the point. Nodding, Aleena replied, "Just the odd chore." She walked down the steps and turned right.

Talmon called after her, "You seem more like a mercenary than a family member to me, Aleena. I think you should be careful—"

"You don't have to help me, Tal. But I owe her my life; I'm doing this." Aleena looked back at her partner. She didn't have time to deal with his upstanding moral code.

Talmon ran over and stopped next to her. "You know that I won't leave your side."

Aleena nodded. He was right, if they were separate that put them both at a disadvantage, but it was still a nice sentiment. "Thank you."

She sprinted down the street, looking side to side while Tal's footsteps sounded behind her. She spotted a nice car and ran up to it. Bingo. She picked up a loose chunk of a broken lamppost and used it to smash in the rear driver's side window. Aleena slipped her arm through the broken glass, being careful not to catch herself, and unlocked the driver's door, leaping in. The alarm blared incessantly as she withdrew her old penknife and unscrewed the area under the steering wheel. She grabbed the closest green wire and tugged it sharply. Leaning back, she breathed a sigh of relief as the alarm stopped. Now she could think clearly.

Aleena played with the wires, cursing at how hard it was for her to remember something so simple. The first car she had stolen had been a beauty, shame that she couldn't drive very well at age nine due to her short legs. Yes! She connected the right two wires and the car came to life, humming gently as Talmon climbed inside the passenger side. Aleena clambered in, slamming the door behind her and buckling up.

A woman ran down her front steps shouting about something or other.

Shrugging, Aleena drove off; she did not have time to waste on crazy women.

"I assume you've done this before?" Talmon said as he pulled his seat belt over his little cream body with one of his long ears.

Aleena looked right and left as they came to a junction before pulling away. "I guess. I needed to do something for fun around this place."

Talmon folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not sure I approve of your gung-ho attitude."

Aleena spun the wheel sharply and the back end of the car waved about as they rounded a corner. "You might wanna close your eyes for a while then, Tal."

~.~.~

Aleena stopped the car on Johnson Street, across the road from a small computer hardware shop. _Chung & Son's_. The name disgusted her. A row of three black cars with blacked out windows were on their side of the road. Could they make it any more obvious?

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Aleena saw flitters of the past as she looked at the slightly busted front door. "Yeah." She grabbed the door handle, pulling it. "I've been here before." As she climbed out, she reached for her gun but rolled her eyes when she realised she hadn't brought it with her. What a stupid oversight.

Tal climbed out. "What are you going to do now?"

"Stay close to me."

Aleena slid over the metal bonnet and darted across the street. _Click! Click! Clack!_ The unmistakable sound of guns moving and their safety being taken off. Aleena kept low and thrust her hand through the nearest driver's window, smashing the glass. She winced in pain as the glass dug into her hand but ignored it as best she could. Gripping the butt off the assault rifle pointed at her, she crashed it into the wielder's face. While dazed, she threw him out and then leapt into the car as gunshots began to echo in the air.

Making sure to keep low, she opened the passenger door for Talmon to leap in and then put the car into reverse, slamming into the car behind and then pulling out. As people got out of the car in front, she accelerated, crashing into them with a thud and throwing them over the top of the car. Slipping the car back into reverse, she drove over the bodies behind her and then got out quickly as someone got out of the car she had reversed into and began to shoot. "Tal, don't move."

"Not like I'm a Digimon with ranged attacks," Talmon grumbled sarcastically.

Aleena reached under the car and grabbed the assault rifle from one of the mauled men and then, still on the ground, she pointed it at the feet she could see walking towards her and pulled the trigger. As soon as the man dropped to the floor, she pulled the trigger a few more times to be sure and then shot the injured men to finish them off.

"Did you need to kill them?" Tal asked, climbing out.

Aleena walked over and tore off one of the men's moss green t-shirts, using it to first pull shards of glass free—each through gritted teeth—and then to wrap up her hand tightly. It was a little like a padded boxing glove. "They're dead now. We don't have time." Aleena tied the fabric and then walked into the store.

The inside was fairly run down. Broken tiles on the walls and a dirty grey linoleum flooring that had probably once been white. A half-wall was ahead, with a till atop and a little brass bell in front of it. Walking up, she pressed the bell twice and waited for just a second.

A man in a black suit, which was already out of place in this rundown shop, walked out. "Can I help you?"

Aleena leant closer and said quietly, "I broke my laptop screen with a spoon."

"But you're not—"

Aleena leapt over the desk feet first, bringing her trainers into his face and knocking him to the floor. As she landed next to him, she punched him in the throat and walked out the way he had come.

Ahead was a familiar metal door. Flashes of it were burned into her memory.

"This is a little too like a movie," Tal said, laughing nervously as he walked up behind her. "We didn't do stuff like this for RODAF." They stopped at the door and Tal looked at her. "Should I?"

"This is real, Tal." She knocked rhythmically on the door and waited for the small eye slab to open.

Heavy footsteps and then the slat slid open but before they had chance to speak, Aleena thrust her arm through and grabbed onto the hair on the other side, smashing it against the door twice. Reaching further, her arm strained now, she tried to find the lock. Using the flat of her hand, she moved it slowly along the pitted cold metal until she felt the metal latch, which she pulled firmly, and then finally withdrew her sore arm.

Aleena shook her arm as it throbbed, using the other padded one to push the door open and reveal the small dark tunnel that led downwards.

"So before we met…"

Aleena looked down at her partner. "I went to school and did my homework." Smirking, she rolled her eyes and walked down the steps. Did he really expect anything more than this?

As they reached the bottom of the tunnel, it led to a bricked area with a blue table in the centre. Cards were strewn across the table and beer bottles were scattered around the room. A door was to the north but locked and with no way to open it from this side. "Tal, the kids are through there but it'll be guarded."

Talmon laughed a little. "Okay, captain. So do we drop down from the skylight?"  
"This _isn't_ a movie." She didn't have time for him right now.

"Maybe I should just blow it o—"

"Shh," she hissed.

Aleena walked quietly over to the table and picked up the small knife that sat there. She walked slowly over to the wall and then dragged the knife all the way across it as loudly as she could, sparks flying out from the tip of the blade. As soon as she heard the footsteps, she pinned her body against the wall adjacent to the door. "Tal, stay."

The door swung open. "It's just some stuffed animal! Who's behind—?"

Aleena punched him in the side of the neck and then brought her knee swiftly into his groin. Grabbing his handgun from the holster on his belt, she hit him repeatedly with the butt and then dragged his limp body out of the way. Hopefully they hadn't noticed him missing yet. She checked he was out cold briefly before calling to Tal, "Follow me."

~.~.~

Leon wished he could have continued that dream but sadly he was waking up and everything was sore.

"I'm still so damn wet…" Who was that?

He opened his eyes, squinting through the blurriness to see Rachel rubbing her large chest with a tissue. Opening his eyes wider, he saw the little black dress clinging to her well maintained frame. Every curve was visible. He groaned, trying to say something.

Rachel gasped. "Leon! I— uh— It's not what it looks like!" She paused, dabbing her chest and leaning closer. "Unless…"

Leon felt movement beneath the covers and realised what was happening. Clamping his hands over his crotch, he groggily said, "What are you doing here?"

Taran began to sing, "Rachel and Leon sitting in a tree."

Leon grabbed a pillow and hurtled it at the brunet, muffling him with a thump.

"Well." Rachel readjusted her hair and dress. "I came to see how you were doing, _Leon_." She sounded out his name slowly, keeping eye contact. She tossed the tissue away and walked her fingers up his chest until they reached his face, where she stroked his cheek. "I couldn't stay away."

Leon winced. "Thanks."

Rachel bit her bottom lip gently. "Anything for you."

Wait. How had he gotten here? That damn Airdramon. Wait! What had happened with them? "Rachel, Home Base? Is it—?"

Rachel smiled. "It's fine. You just need to rest up now."

"Thanks." Leon leant his head back. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, not long," Rachel said nonchalantly.

A nurse walked past and smirked. "She's been here for hours."

Leon felt his cheeks flare up; it was so embarrassing she had done that for him.

Rachel turned away, presumably to hide some embarrassment of her own and that did make him feel a little better. "Well, I've got to go help with the clean-up." Getting up, she left quickly.

"Bye." He waved meekly and then thumped his head back against the single pillow on his bed.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Taran grinned cheekily.

"No, now give me my pillow back." Leon shot the brunet a look.

"Someone's a grumpy chops." Taran chuckled.

Leon grabbed the other pillow and threw it with as much strength as he could muster. As he fell back, he hit his head on the headrest. Yelping in pain, he groaned. What had he done to deserve this?

Taran began to giggle uncontrollably. "I think you like her. Like _super like_ her!"

Leon turned to Taran and narrowed his gaze. "I don't _like_ her," he replied in a mocking tone. Thumping the bed, he ordered, "Now, give me my stupid pillows back, Taran, or I swear—!"

"Only if you say you like her." Taran nodded haughtily and crossed his arms.  
Leon groaned and thumped his head against the hard mattress. "Why me?"

~.~.~

Aleena kept back against the wall as they reached the opening into a large cavernous space. Ten men surrounded multiple rows of children at various ages working on sewing machines. It was like something from a history book from before The Kamiya War. Sadly, the constant sound of machinery, lack of light and malnourished faces were all too real and very much in the present. "If you take out the seven closest to us, I'll deal with the other three," Aleena whispered.

Talmon sighed. "Go."

Aleena ran out and ducked as seven wisps of colourful smoke flew over her and attacked the seven closest men. They began to shout, aiming their guns. Aleena threw the butter knife, hitting one of the guards in the throat. She fired off two quick shots but was stopped from shooting her third when a red hot lance of pain impaled her arm. Looking down at the bloody wound, she knew it was a bullet hole. Through and through, luckily. She fired off a final bullet at one of the guards stirring and then tore a strip of her t-shirt off, exposing her lower abdomen. Wrapping the fabric tight around her arm, she turned to Tal. "Remind me to get a new t-shirt after this."

There was no movement though. No cheers. It was nothing like she remembered from back when she had been there. Was this definitely the right place? "I'm here to take you all home!" No reply. "Back to Liz and Bertha's!"

A little boy looked up, his eyes watering. "Don't take us back there."

Aleena was baffled. Had she got the right place? Was this a dream? Maybe she had hit her head. "Why not?"

The little girl next to him was shaking. She quietly announced, "It was Mother Liz who sold us."

Aleena pointed her gun straight at that evil little child's head. This was stupid! They were obviously a plant. "How dare you!"

Talmon's ear touched her gun and forced it down. "Aleena."

Some of the kids began to cry. The girl, trembling more now, said, "Please, miss, it's true."

Talmon looked up. "Aleena?"

"What?" she barked. What on earth could he possibly want? She was dealing with people insulting the woman who raised her. The only mother she had ever known.

"Don't you think there's something strange about your story?" Talmon stepped in front of her, still looking at her. "Children are constantly taken while Liz and Bertha are away and you save them only for them to be taken again."

Aleena knew exactly what he was suggesting and she couldn't bear to hear it. "Don't say it."

"I think…"

Aleena dropped the gun and grabbed her head. She saw a flash of a tree and felt cool wind on her face.

"Mister Rabbit, please don't make her mad," the girl cried.

Aleena looked up, shaking as she looked at that little girl. That little feeble girl. That had once been her but Liz had saved her, right? No… that wasn't right.

Talmon called to the children, "Just wait for a minute, we'll save you all soon."

Aleena tried to remember her past. It was so mucky in her head.

Tal bent down. "Liz isn't who you think she is, Aleena. She's a slave trader."  
Aleena fell to her knees and stared at the ground. "But." Aleena remembered her happy memories with Liz. "She saved me from here."

From behind someone spoke, "She didn't. I read your file." The voice was cool and calm. "You escaped and during the day following the media circus about the little girl walking around Downtown with bloody hands, Liz secured you to start her swindling."

Aleena turned to see a teenage boy with black hair. Two red streaks hung either side of his face, contrasting the bored blue eyes. "You are?" She stopped herself from hitting him outright for such a lie.

"Tyler." He held up a folder. "It's all in here."

Aleena got up and walked over, snatching the file. She skimmed through it and the memories flooded back. They had left the door open that day. It was the first life she took. The moment the life left his eyes haunted every single nightmare she had ever had. But she had been free. If only fleetingly.

He held out his hand. "It is certainly a pleasure to finally meet the little girl with the big reputation."

Aleena reluctantly shook it, but got close to his face. Squeezing his hand, she hissed, "I'm not little anymore."

Tyler half-smiled and coolly replied, "The police have been alerted via a bystander. The ruckus you caused was all over the police scanners. I just had to come and investigate if the information I stole the other day was true and wow. RODAF…"

Talmon sighed and shook his head. "Aleena, I asked if it was necessary."

"Damn it." Aleena looked from the kids to Tyler and then narrowed her eyes. "You were here the whole time?"

Tyler nodded. "Indeed."

"You haven't killed me yet, so what's your game?"

"That is just the question I was biding my time for." He laughed.

Walking across the room he touched one of the bricks and it fell through. He tapped a few more, each falling through until the wall fell apart and revealed a wide tunnel. "Voila, mademoiselle." French? Who was this guy? That was a dead language. And pretty much illegal to speak.

"I don't remember that," Aleena grumbled.

Tyler pointed at her. "Before we make our exit, I have one condition for your usage of the tunnel."

Aleena looked him up and down, her eyes narrow. She could take him. "What?"  
"You help me."

* * *

 **Will Leon and Rachel have their happily-ever-after? How will Aleena deal with her final support pillar crumbling? Who is Tyler? And what car was it Aleena originally stole? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Ice Cold Heart

Aleena debated it. She didn't really have much choice but he didn't have to know that. "With what?"

A flash of a smile on his lips. "I— No, _we_ require your assistance."

She could only see him, but it made sense he wasn't alone; that tunnel was huge. "We?"

"The Resistance."

She rolled her eyes. Parricidium, the Future Fighters, and now them? Was there no end to silly groups against the government? Although, he was quite young and demilitarised compared to the usual lot of them. "Sounds lame."

Tyler nodded. "I see you've made your decision."

Aleena groaned. He really wasn't going to give up, was he? And if she beat him up, she would have no hostage if it was a trap. "If you take us now, then—"

Raising an eyebrow, Tyler smirked. "You'll help us?"

How bad could it be? She had nothing better to do. "Sure, whatever. I'll play dress up."

"Aleena…" Talmon tugged on her shirt.

There was a loud crash above and Tyler walked into the cave. "I'll explain on the way, let's go."

A light formed in the distance after the longest time.

"Why me? RODAF has better people."

Tyler smirked. "You deserted them. Availability is a prime factor in this choice."

Aleena sighed. "News travels fast."

"Where are we taking the kids, Aleena?" Tal called.

Aleena looked back at them all with Talmon. How she wished she could be that young and innocent. "You lot stay here, I've gotta go do something, but I'll be back."

Peering outside cautiously, she walked out into the glaring sunlight. Glancing back, she saw Tyler. "I told you to wait back there."

Tyler gave her a cursory glance. "Perhaps."

Aleena narrowed her eyes. She could still kill him. "I don't like you."

Tyler shrugged. "That isn't necessary."

She didn't have time for this. "Fine, stay close to me."

They were outside of Downtown now, just how long had that tunnel been? The ground here was sandy, separated from the road by a wire fence. Picking up a rock, she tossed it at the fence. No reaction; so it wasn't electrical. "Did you bring wire snappers?"

Tyler tapped away on his phone, only looking up briefly to reply, "The correct term is bolt cutters."

Groaning, she looked at him tiredly. "Cutters, then?"

Tyler slipped his phone away and smiled. "I didn't, but I have a substitute." He pointed to a hole in the fence which was covered by a rock on their side. How she had missed it was beyond her.

Walking over, she looked the rock up and down. It was big, but nothing she couldn't budge. Planting her hands on it firmly, she shoved hard and then clambered through the hole. "Well?" Aleena looked back at him, rolling her arms in their sockets.

"Despite your gender, your strength is exemplary." Tyler slipped through the hole. "You seem to lack many feminine attributes, actually."

Aleena stepped close to him. "Insult me again with your fancy words and I'll shove my strength through your front teeth and out the back."

Tyler gulped. "Understood."

Aleena turned back and saw a car ahead. Walking over casually, she raised her fist to smash the window when hands grabbed onto her arm. Spinning fast, she gripped Tyler by the scruff of his black shirt and lifted him into the air. "What?" she asked shortly.

He struggled and pointed behind her. "I happened to notice that someone temporarily left their car keys in the ignition across the road."

Aleena put him down. "Nice eye, lanky."

"This prohibition of insults is not mutual, then, I take it?"

Aleena stopped in the middle of the road and rolled her eyes. "Shut up and come on." She rushed round to the driver's side and opened the passenger door where Tyler was waiting. "Get in."

"I— this is a felony. You understand this? Your blasé attitude suggests this may not be the case."

Aleena glared at him, gripping the wheel so she didn't get out and throttle him. "Get in or so help me—"

Tyler did as he was told and slammed the door behind him. He grabbed hold of his seatbelt but she didn't have time for that.

Aleena slammed her foot down onto the accelerator pedal, releasing loud screeches and smoke, and used her other foot for the clutch, slipping the car through the gears.

"And the errand you're running is?"

Aleena turned a corner and looked over at him briefly. "I'll join your club still, don't worry." Slipping the car up a gear, she narrowed her eyes. "This won't take long."

"I'm afraid that is not an answer. And, may I remind you, the police force are scouring Sabhailte for a fugitive with a similar description to you." Tyler gripped onto the seat. "I'm also sure breaking the speed limit to this degree will just cause further—"

"Calm down, fancy pants." Aleena looked at his brown shorts—practically new. "Is that a beanie and hoodie in the back seat?" She flicked her head back to behind them.

Tyler reached pack as she came to a stop and produced the grey hoodie and beanie.

Aleena pulled them on quickly and then looked at Tyler as she grabbed the door handle. "There. I'm someone else." She pulled open the door, climbing out and looking up.

"I really don't think that's how it works!" Tyler rushed out after her. "This archaic architecture is—"

"I don't have time to make up words with you, fancy pants." Aleena walked up the stone steps and knocked loudly on the door.

"The name I gave you was Tyler."

"Don't care. Stay back and shut up."

Aleena spotted the beady little eye in the viewfinder and the door swung open shortly after to reveal Liz, who seemed elated but quickly deflated.

"Where are the kids?" She looked around expectantly.

Aleena pushed past and walked inside. "They're not coming." She continued walking forwards, footsteps behind her until the door closed.

"But, Ally, my dear. I thought you were going to rescue them for me?"

Aleena clenched her fists, trying to hold back at least a bit of the anger that was building. "I know."

"Know what, my dear?" Liz touched her shoulder lightly.

Aleena spun, smacking away the older woman's hand. "I know what you've been up to."

Liz backed off a little. "I don't know what you mean, dear." The face was so false; the sincerity it portrayed was just a lie. It was sickening.

Aleena could feel the rage seeping out through her pores. "How." Gritting her teeth as she felt her throat try to close up, she continued, "Could you?"

"Calm down, Ally, sweetie." Liz held out a hand meekly.

Aleena slapped her, resisting the punch. "Don't _ever_ call me _Ally_ again."

Breathing deeply, Aleena tried to gather herself. "I know you've been selling the kids and getting me to save them, just so you can do it all over." Aleena exhaled and cracked the bones in her fingers. She looked up at Liz, feeling the pure hatred boil up inside of her. "It's over." Aleena clenched her fists, unable to restrain the urge. "Don't get in my way or I won't be respoons—" Aleena cursed and sounded out the word in her head. "Responsible for what I do."

Around them, Bertha and the children had begun to gather.

Liz pulled her shawl tighter. "I have done no such thing, darling." She shot a glance at Tyler and walked towards him. "Whoever told you that is a vindictive liar."

"It's not a lie!"

Liz stopped, turning back.

Aleena shook her head and whispered, "I really wish it was."

"Of course it is, my dear. I raised you from a young babe and now someone is poisoning your mind against me." Could this be right? Her head throbbed. Liz smiled. "Why would I do that? I love children."

Aleena's head swam but she could see the truth now. The details weren't crystal clear but she knew Liz was full of lies. "I came here—" She choked; it was impossible to have her faith shattered like this. Breathing deeply, Aleena tried again. "I came here to be cared for and loved and I really thought I'd found the right place but I haven't, have I?" Aleena tensed up completely as she remembered how big the door had looked when she was first led up those steps. "I was just money to you, right?"

Liz gasped. It was as fake as the rest of her performance. "Of course not!"

"Right?" Aleena screamed, rushed across the room towards Liz.

Liz staggered back and shook her head. "No. No, I— I love children." She nodded fervently, as if to reaffirm the statement.

"No." Aleena forced her back against the wall, looking into those terrified eyes. She had seen eyes like these before but she never imagined someone she loved would give her this look. "You love money." She slammed her palms either side of Liz.

Liz shook a little. "I… It's— It's just not true. I promise."

Aleena looked into those eyes. They were the eyes that had raised her. It was strange because she felt truly disgusted. Her childhood home was now tainted by bad memories like blood in a pool. Aleena shook her head and walked away. "You're disgusting." She turned to face Liz, become stiff. "I _hate_ you. I hate everything about you. I hate how you breathe and somehow manage to live." Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes. "I want you gone now." Opening her eyes, she snapped, "This isn't a business—it's a place for love!"

Liz gasped in shock. "But—"

"GO!"

Liz turned to Bertha, a snarl spreading across her wrinkled lips as she picked up her handbag. "Come on, Bertha."

"I am no longer a slave to you, Elizabeth. I wish to stay and care for these children."  
Liz gasped, clutching her bag. "How dare you! And after all I've done!"

Aleena thumped the small table used for the phone and the legs snapped, caving in. "Now!"

"Fine." Liz looked around briefly and then pushed past Tyler to leave, slamming the door behind herself.

There was a silence and then everyone seemed to be happier, especially the children. They began to talk amongst themselves and Bertha stepped out in front of them, her head hung low.

Aleena walked over, trying to gather her head. "You'll look after them?" She looked at the children. "The kids? Properly this time."

Bertha knelt down in front of the children, wrapping her arms around them. "Go play." She stood back up and looked at Aleena. "I will do right by my babies."  
Aleena looked over at Tyler briefly and then back. "Then stay here. I'll pay for staff and anything else you need. I'll be back soon after I get the other kids, so I just need you to hold on for a bit."

"Aleena, she's got a gun!" Tyler grabbed onto her arm and threw her to the ground.

Time seemed to freeze as the words echoed in her ears more than the sound of the bullet as it shattered the glass. Aleena was unable to do anything as she watched the bullet tear into Bertha's chest.

Bertha flew to the floor, making no sound as she bounced off the wooden flooring.

Aleena felt everything move full speed and immediately leapt up to chase Liz as she ran off. The fury built in her cheeks but she felt a firm grasp on her wrist.

Tyler spoke softly, "She is gone, Aleena. Our first port of call must to be provide first aid for the victim."

"I will not let her get away with this!" Aleena pulled her arm free as Liz got into her car.

"It is more beneficial to save one life than to end two!"

Aleena bit her lip; he was right. Liz was already driving away and Bertha was on the floor bleeding out. Growling, she rushed to Bertha's side. She looked up and Tyler and tried to think. "Call an ambulance."

"I will see to it." Tyler withdrew his phone, standing up and walking away.

Aleena gripping Bertha's hand and felt the anger fade away. "Don't you quit on me." She shook the hand tightly and then tore open Bertha's dress; there was no time for modesty. She hunted for the bullet but the puddle of blood quickly forming on the older woman's body made it incredulously difficult.

Bertha stroked her face. "I'm fine, child. See to yourself."

The wound was on the upper left side so it must have just missed the heart. "It's not through and through." That made things more complicated. Aleena pulled out her penknife.

"Child I still remember the day we got you that." Bertha rested her head back.

"This is going to hurt a bit." Aleena sliced the skin slightly wider and then swapped to the tweezer attachment as Bertha shouted words in a foreign language.

Bertha slowed her breathing and laughed. "You saw that as I and Liz was taking you for ice cream." That accent. It was the one she used during bedtime lullabies. "You say _I want it_. I just laughed." Bertha chuckled weakly. "So we both begs Liz for a week. You beg for two and she give up, buying for you." Bertha's eyes were now spending more time closed than open. She had to find that bullet.

Aleena tugged the bullet out and then clamped her hands over the wound. "Don't you go anywhere, Aunty Bertha."

Bertha grimaced. "You used to sleep with it, was the funniest thing." She coughed and blood dribbled down her chin.

Aleena wiped it away, worried. This was a bad sign. Where the hell was that ambulance?

Looking down at the blood seeping through her fingers, she bit her lip. She had to act but there was no way she could move. "I need you stay strong while I go grab some thread." She closed her eyes and lifted Bertha's hand, placing them firmly onto the wound and then letting go slowly. "Don't let go."

"I'll be fine." Bertha smiled, her eyes closed.

Aleena ran upstairs. She had to be strong; strong enough for the both of them.

~.~.~

Tyler kept the phone to his ear as the woman reassured him that the ambulance was on its way. Watching Aleena go, he shook his head. At the end of it all, she was just an ordinary girl who got scared like anyone else.

Bertha beckoned towards him.

Tyler looked around and then walked over slowly.

"Now, child, I need only ask you one favour." Her hands were laid gently on her chest.

Tyler laughed a little and then placed his hands on top, pushing down. "Shall we not wait for Aleena?"

Bertha shook her head and then looked at him, her beautiful brown eyes so warm and inviting. "I'm not long left, child."

He could not be in one of those corny TV moments from one of Corinne's shows. "The ambulance will arrive soon and Aleena will return too. You are safe."

Bertha swallowed back some blood. "Shush, child." It was so hard to hear her now. Maybe this was going to be like one of those corny moments. "Promise me you look after that girl. She isn't easy but she needs love, child. There is no one to give her, and it breaks my heart—" She coughed, blood spraying outwards onto her face. "It breaks my heart to see my cute lil' pumpkin be alone." Her voice was becoming hoarser now.

"Found it!" Aleena charged down the stairs like a bull in a china shop.

"What I tell you about running in the house?" Bertha chided softly.

Aleena knelt at her side and smiled. "Don't do it."

~.~.~

Aleena withdrew the thread and slipped it through the needle attachment on her penknife. Taking Bertha's hand, she lifted it from the wound, squeezing it reassuringly briefly before letting it fall to Bertha's side. She placed the needle into the wound and began to quickly stitch up the hole. It would probably only take three stitches; it was tiny really. "I won't be long."

"I love you, child. But it's not enough." Bertha closed her eyes and exhaled.

"It's plenty." Aleena bit the thread, tearing it with her teeth and tying the final stitch. It was messy but it would work. "Done." Aleena grinned.

Then it was strange. Bertha wasn't moving. "Aunty." She shook Bertha. "Aunty Bertha." Aleena laughed nervously but there was still nothing. "No…" Aleena shook her. She whispered, looking up, "Please." Gripping onto Bertha with her arms quivering, she yelled, "N— Not you too!" Bertha's skin was getting colder by the second.

Aleena felt her hands tremble as she saw Alice looked at her, crouched down and throwing up blood.

Nyx was stood on the stairs, her eyes frozen as Reuben flew across the room.

Aleena looked back down at Bertha. She could only see one more person gone. "Please…" Water trickled down her face and as she touched, it felt warm. Wait. She could still do it. Bertha wasn't gone yet. This was just her unconscious. "Bertha!" Aleena screamed, the bodies of her fallen loved ones fading away as she clamped her hands down onto Bertha's chest and compressed hard.

An ambulance siren sounded as she continued the compressions. It wasn't long now. It would all be okay. The medics rushed in behind her as she continued to push down, again and again. The chest felt colder and colder every second that went by so she knew she didn't have long.

The paramedics brushed her aside and began to treat Bertha.

Aleena pulled her knees tightly into her chest, leaning back into the corner of the hallway as she saw Reuben fly into the tree again. Nyx was crushed and Alice died. Aleena closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, trying to force the memories from her head. She continually chanted, as if it would help, "Please." There wasn't any room inside her head for anyone else.

The paramedics began to talk instead of act. What was happening? Aleena snapped her eyes open and saw them looking at a watch.

"Time of death—"

Aleena darted forwards and threw the paramedic across the floor like he was nothing more than a crumpled piece of paper. "No, it's not over!" Aleena continued compressions as the other paramedic grabbed onto her. A quick elbow in the gut knocked him onto his back, giving Aleena space to breathe into Bertha's mouth. "She can't be dead!" Aleena looked up at the roof, screaming. "Give her back!" She cursed loudly. This wasn't happening. "I'm taking her back whether you like it or not!"

~.~.~

Tyler watched Aleena continue her compressions while the other two paramedics watched, unsure what to do. Their faces displayed their empathy for Aleena, but it was clear that the fight had been lost so long ago. Another group of paramedics came in and the four of them managed to pull Aleena, kicking and screaming, back so that they could take Bertha away.

Aleena sat, staring at the space where Bertha had been and it made Tyler feel more than a little afraid.

He walked over slowly and knelt down next to her. What on earth was he supposed to say? He grimaced. "Aleena…" There was no response. Trying to think of the medical shows Corinne had made him watch, he said the first thing that came to mind, "You did everything that you were capable of."

"It wasn't enough." Aleena looked up at him, seeming to look through him. "It's never enough."

He felt for her, even though he had only known her a short time. But there was little he could do in terms of comfort. "You cannot save everyone, Aleena."

"I can't save _anyone_." She looked down at her trembling hands. "Just one person. Just one person is all I need. I just want one person to live."

Aleena looked up at him slowly, seeming tired. "Is that too much to ask?" Her voice cracked as she spoke.

"No, it is just—" He didn't have the right vocabulary for this, which was rare. "We must return for the remaining children."

"What's the point?" Aleena looked back at where Bertha had been. "They'll die anyway."

"They need somewhere to rest; do not forget your promise to Bertha. Make this residence a place which has the values that you wished for it to."

Aleena shook her head tiredly and leant it back against the wall, closing her eyes.

"The police are going to arrive soon and they will see you and take you away. If we don't make haste, then we will not be able to help those children. Aleena, they can still survive if you give them a chance."

Aleena got up and left without a word, leaving the door open.

Tyler shrugged. Maybe he had gotten through? He had to follow her. He closed the door behind him and sighed. He just hoped all this was worth it.

~.~.~

Rori picked up the Taser gun and slotted it onto her waist. "Alrighty, let's dash, Orchidemon!"

"Wait."

Rori turned back to look at Simyan. "Hmm?"

"Rori, I'm afraid there's something you need to know before you leave."

"What is it, Simmy?"

Simyan sighed. "I'm not a good person."

"What do you—?"

Simyan held up his hand. "Just listen for a moment.

Orchidemon floated over as Simyan continued.

"RODAF have been doing more than you know." He waved his hand three times in different directions. "Screen summon." Three screens detached from different spots on the walls and flew over to them, still attached by their cables. "As part of Kayran's directive, Digimon experiments exist. There are three types of these experiments."

"Simyan, I have a mis—"

Simyan held up his hand.

He turned to one of the screens and snapped his fingers to bring an image of Orchidemon to life. "The first is infusing Digital Building Blocks or DBB into human DNA. DBB to DNA is not a complete art and he's permanently destroyed many Digimon in his tests, as well as killing many people." As he spoke, Orchidemon's image was dragged into an image of Rori, who grew leafy wings.

"That's awful," Rori muttered. How was it possible for anyone to do such a thing? She looked to Orchidemon and wondered just how far Kayran would go to punish disobedience.

"Have no fear." Simyan brushed the first screen away. "I will try to prevent him from experimenting on any of the Digimon under RODAF's care." Turning to the second, he tapped it and it came to life. "The second of his experiments is to infect Digimon with a virus. This is the most longstanding experiment and it shames me to say that I didn't notice it sooner."

A purple fish Digimon, Otarumon, appeared on the screen while swimming. "It appears he uses an airborne version to create an infection from the base code and negatively change the behaviour of the Digimon." Otarumon inhaled little yellow circles and its eyes turned black.

"So they become bad?" Rori couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. How could she have worked for someone who did this to innocent Digimon?

"Correct." Simyan tapped the screen again. "The only saving grace is the limited range." A yellow circle bounced around inside of a red ring, with several other Otarumon outside of the red ring.

Simyan stepped over to the final screen, brushing away the second screen nonchalantly. "Finally, I have found evidence of experiments on the bond between the real world and the digital one. Sadly, I have yet to discern what he plans to do with this but I do know that for all three experiments he needs one thing."

"What is it? We'll steal it and… we'll hide it! Somewhere far away!" Rori exclaimed. She grasped Orchidemon tightly.

"Digital Energy. He has been able to harvest it through means unbeknownst to me. I suspect he's draining Digimon of their energy." Simyan sighed. "I'm afraid we cannot hide it."

"What should we do, Simmy?"

"For now, you should continue with your daily life, but I humbly request that you contact me on this." He handed her red rectangle. "If you ever need me, say my name into it."

Rori took the strange object, grasping it tightly. "I will."

~.~.~

Rori felt some white powder touch her skin as she got out of the car and walked into the park. "It's snowing. That means…"

Andrew withdrew his Taser gun. "They're here."

Rori looked through the trees and spotted four Digimon in the distance. Three were small ice golems and then there was Ikkakumon. "Petal Swirl with Winged Fury to increase distance."

Orchidemon flew into the air and petals from her head swirled off, becoming quickly replaced, and began to glow brightly. The petals flew forwards like knives as she flapped her wings, speeding them up.

The petals dug into Ikkakumon's side, exploding and throwing the Digimon into a tree and onto its side.

"Go, go!" Andrew shouted.

Rori leapt out of the treeline and charged forwards.

"G-Mon, sand Spit!"

"You could say please," G-Mon teased, floating stationary.

"Fine, please!"

G-Mon laughed. "I was only joking."

"Just go!"

G-Mon flew forwards and spat out a stream of sand in a wide arc.

In response, the three Icemon bundled together. "Ice Block!" A large ice shield formed, deflecting the attack. "Defensive Ray!" Beams of light flew down from the sky as the shield of ice faded, hitting each enemy Digimon and lighting up their bodies. White armour formed on them all and then the Icemon charged.

"Iceball Bomb!" In sync, all three lifted their arms and a robust meteorite formed in the sky, flying down towards Rori and Andrew.

"These combination attacks are a handful," Andrew grumbled.

He was right. "Orchidemon, split them up!"

Orchidemon flapped her wings fervently, blasting the Icemon away from Ikkakumon and then each other.

"G-Mon, cut it up!" Andrew yelled.

"One shish kebab, coming up!" G-Mon spat out a thin stream of sand and moved across the rock, cutting it into tiny chunks with relative ease.

Orchidemon knew she had to do this for Rori. Kayran's plans weighed heavy on her mind as she ducked underneath a large snowball and batted the Icemon responsible away with her vine-like arm. It was up to her to protect Rori. She fired off petals at another Icemon and he fell onto his back.

"Petal Swirl." The petals flew from her head and swirled around the other two Icemon, battering them near their friend. Orchidemon shot upwards and twirled around, unleashing roots from the bottom of her body. The roots encapsulated the three Icemon, lifting them up where she could squeeze hard, crushing them until their data began to break apart. Mission success.

Rori knew she was faster than Andrew, so she got across the ice and covered her face as a Harpoon Torpedo exploded nearby. The ice cracked beneath her like a spider web, revealing that they were standing on a man-made pond and the ice was getting thing. Withdrawing her Taser gun, she fired through Ikkakumon's armour, causing a roar of pain.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" A multitude of explosive rounds flew into the air.

Rori darted away from the already cracked ice and fired a second round as the horns began to touch down and further fracture the sheet of ice.

Ikkukumon convulsed as the charge attached. This was her chance.

Rori fired a final round and watched Ikkakumon keel over. She ran up to its side and withdrew a Transporter Orb. However, before she could use it, G-Mon appeared above Ikkakumon and multiplied, flying into the already weakened walrus Digimon and shattering its ice armour. Ikkakumons data began to spiral away and she could tell it was barely holding on.

Rori spun round. "Why did you do that?"

"You have to finish what you start." Andrew nodded to G-Mon.

Rori stood in the way, holding up her Taser Gun. "I won't let you harm Ikkakumon if there isn't a reason."

"Are you also defecting?"

Orchidemon flew over and dropped three Icemon eggs.

Andrew looked at the eggs and then back at Rori. "What difference does one more make?"

"Orchidemon did what she thought was best to get them all home!"

"You can't decide who lives and who dies."

"At least I don't want to kill everyone!"

Andrew holstered his Taser gun and withdrew his handgun, pointing it at her. "Stand down."

Rori didn't know quite how to react. He had pulled an actual gun on her. She calmed her nerves and held the Taser gun steady. "I won't allow you to harm Ikkakumon."

"If you don't move, then harm may come to your person, do you accept the risk?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Rori spat.

They looked at each other, willing the other to give in. Andrew cocked his gun. "You have three seconds to remove yourself or I'll be forced to shoot."

"I'm not moving."

"Three"

"Threaten me all you want, I won't budge."

"Two."

"Shoot!" Rori yelled, not thinking of her own safety anymore.

"One." Andrew shrugged and pulled the trigger but an explosion stopped him from ever completing the action. It threw him and G-Mon back as Rori felt herself fly into the air with Orchidemon's roots keeping her safe.

Rori sprinkled the Transporter Orb's dust from above, sending the Digimon away. "Bye!"

Andrew fired at her but he couldn't hit from this range.

Now, she could take RODAF down.

* * *

 **How will Aleena cope with the loss of both her adoptive parents? What will Rori do now? And just what does Tyler want? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: The Big Reveal

Aleena listened to the dial tone as she leant against the glass wall of the phone booth. The door behind opened and she jumped, clenching her fists.

"Are you okay?" It was Talmon.

Aleena look at him briefly, before returning her gaze to the black machine. "I'm good, okay?" she snapped.

"You sure? I know what happened wasn't what you were expecting but—"

Covering the mouthpiece, she hissed, "I know it wasn't, tell me something I don't know."

"I just want to help, Aleena."

A voice sprung up from the phone. "Yes, hello. Yes." Listening to the reply, she sighed. "Yes, three nannies."

"We should get that hand looked at." Talmon raised his ear to her bandaged hand. She had already plucked the glass out and stitched it up. What was he on about?

Waving her hand at him, she tried to shoo him to no avail. "A year. Around the clock. After that then we'll sort out something more permanent. Yes. Fine." She could feel herself becoming more irate but tried to hold it back for the good of the kids.

Picking at the paper sign on the phone box, she ignored the woman as she spoke to someone else. There wasn't much time before her voice print would be matched and the booth traced. "Send me the info to the number I gave and I'll pay them. Okay? Bye."

Aleena hung up and walked past Talmon quickly. Walking around the phone booth, she threw up and punched the booth simultaneously. The sick became black sludge, swimming about her feet and then climbing up until she was suffocating.  
"Aleena!"

Looking over at Talmon, she saw his warm smile. The sick had drained away, leaving a faint trail. She wiped her mouth and called to Tyler, "Where's _The Resistance_ 's base, then?"

Tyler grinned. "I thought you would never ask!"

~.~.~

Aleena looked at Evan's Bakery on the right. They had walked all the way from Downtown Sector Three to Central Sector Two—five sectors—and now the sun was setting. This was becoming tiring. "This going to take much longer?"

"Don't fret, we're now in the vicinity."

A few more feet and Tyler turned sharply, walking up some steps on the left to a block of flats. A three way intersection and lots of other housing surrounded it. "This is the base?" How idiotic. Home Base was invisible unless entered a certain way and was constantly moving and yet they were in the centre of the capital in a housing area. The shrubs outside were just like the orphanage, but neatly kept. Shaking her head, she ran up the stairs after Tyler.

"This it?" Aleena asked, stretching her legs.

"Patience is a virtue." Tyler pushed the door open as a buzzer sounded.

"I think I lost my patience when we stopped for juice at that shop," Talmon grumbled.

"Don't remind me," Aleena said, rolling her eyes. As she stepped inside, she could see the first floor looked average. Walking across the blue linoleum, she followed Tyler up the stairs. Every floor after the first looked the same until they finally stopped on the fourth floor and Tyler walked over to one of the two doors. Twisting a key in the door, he pushed it open.

"I expected more." Aleena looked through the open door at the wooden flooring of the hallway. Ahead was a windowed wall and a living area before that. "Is this your house?" Clenching her fists, she asked, "Are you serious?" Aleena reached to grab him.

Tyler walked inside. "I'm home!"

"Is that you, dear?" The female voice sounded fairly old.

"Yes, mother, I invited a friend."

"I'll be in the kitchen, sweetie!"

Aleena stormed in and pushed Tyler against the wall. "Just who do you think you are?"

He moved his head away and held up his hands. "Retain some trust for just a nanosecond longer, please."

If he wanted to do something, then he would have by now. "Fine." She stepped back, holding up her hands.

He walked down the hall, opening the second door on the left. "Please, follow me."

The seating area ahead was lowered and the kitchen was to the right. At least the knives were nearby if it all went sour. Following him inside, she looked around. There was a blue theme throughout: blue bed, carpet, wallpaper. Other colours were present, but not in any significant amount. It reminded her vaguely of Leon's room back at RODAF but he had less stuff. Leon's injured body flickered in front of her eyes and she gripped the doorframe with her injured hand, cursing as the pain brought her back into focus.

Dirty clothes were strewn across the floor so the only places to sit were the chair and his bed. Tyler was already on the black computer chair so she sat down on his bed. Talmon jumped up next to her and then they both looked at him.

Tyler turned in the chair. "What is your opinion?"

"This…" Aleena picked up a t-shirt from the floor. "Is a bedroom."

Talmon chuckled. "Aleena, you've seen one before."

"I was expecting better, is all." Shrugging, she looked at the door.

Tyler got up and closed it.

"Here, you can change into this." He threw her a plain white top. It was a little big but it would do.

She pulled off her top, tossing it into his bin and shook her hair.

"Wait! I haven't had chance to turn around!" Tyler exclaimed.

Aleena paused. "Turn around?" What did he mean?

"You're… naked."

Aleena looked down at her chest. "Not really."

Tyler covered his eyes. "Whatever is the matter with you?"

Aleena shrugged and pulled the T-shirt on. "Nothing."

"Do you always just get naked in front of boys?" She could see his face was red. Leon did that too when he was embarrassed.

"Are you embarrassed you weren't naked too?" Aleena asked, looking at Talmon.

"I think, from movie context, you are not meant to look at each other naked unless it's sexual," Talmon whispered.

Aleena shook her head. "That's stupid."

Tyler groaned and sat back down in his chair, head in hands. "I think I may have bitten off more than it is possible for me to chew."

"If you bite me, I'll break your jaw," Aleena said, removing the bandages from her hand to inspect the wound.

Tyler sighed. "Message received. Now, as to your earlier confusion. From a psychological standpoint, the human eye most often ignores that which is in plain sight." Pressing a button on the keyboard behind him, he made the computer screen come to life. Was that meant to be impressive? Simyan had flying screens.

Tyler began to tap away while she looked at the dresser next to his bed. On it were several photo frames; they must be his family. Pain shot through her skull and she saw Alice on the ground. Gripping her head and gritting her teeth she fought against it.

"—Aleena? Aleena!"

Aleena lashed out and punched the wall, breaking through the plasterboard. Looking back at Tyler, she saw his jaw drop.

"Why did you—?"

She tugged her hand out and shook the white dust off. Luckily it was her good hand. "I— I'm sorry."

Tyler sighed. "I'll go get the first aid kit and then… you can meet The Resistance."

~.~.~

Standing on the small black raised platform, Leon breathed deeply while holding onto the metal balancing bars either side. To his right was the nurse and behind him was the hellish wheelchair he had been stuck in for ages. "You can do this," he whispered, focussing on lifting his right leg.

"Take your time; physiotherapy is a slow and steady process." The nurse moved closer, holding up her hands. She clearly thought he was going to fall but he was going to have to disappoint her.

He tensed up his body; he had to lift that leg! Suddenly, he felt the heel leave the ground. It was moving! It was moving! He grinned but quickly lost concentration and fell onto the platform in a heap. He panted, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "Dammit!" He thumped the platform. His arms had been so much easier to rehabilitate.

"Your body has been through a lot. You can't rush its recovery." She, and another nurse, lifted him and placed him back into the wheelchair.

"I've got stuff to do." It was true. He had to get back fighting fit in order to earn money.

"I'm sure you do." He didn't have to look but he knew she had rolled her eyes. "It's best you rest now." He was lifted into his bed and the covers were pulled over him. "Just rest until your next session." She placed a glass of water by his bed and walked away quietly.

Leon groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

"Can I open my present yet?" The question startled him.

Leon turned to look at Taran, who was holding out the lavishly wrapped box. "I think Christmas is over, dude." He exhaled, spikes of pain shooting up and down his body from overexertion. "We don't celebrate it here."

Taran nodded, looking down briefly before he looked back up with wide eyes. "Can I open it anyway?" He began to bounce up and down excitedly.

"You had two, right?"

Taran frowned. "They won't let me play with the other." Taran's grin quickly expanded until it was ear to ear. This kid was so fickle. "I have this though, can I open it?"

Leon laughed. Sure, why not."

It had been a long time—too long—since Leon had celebrated the holidays, but it was nice to see someone still believing. He looked over but saw that Taran was confused. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what it is." He pouted.

Leon sat up, groaning. It couldn't be that complex. "Let me see."

Taran lifted the item out of the box; it was a palm-sized chunk of metal with buttons on. It was probably a gaming system of some kind.

"I'm not sure what that is, actually, buddy."

Taran dropped it back into the box and continued to pout. Then slowly, he took it out of the box and began to smile. "I'll just press all the buttons and maybe something fun will happen!" Taran beamed and began to tap away at the device. Suddenly, he gasped and held it out. On it was a picture of an egg. "It's a pet!"

Leon smiled, leaning back in bed. "I haven't seen one of those in a while." At least not since he lost his older sister's.

Leon waited until all the nurses were absent and then decided it was time to speed up his recovery. Grunting, he threw his legs over the edge of the bed but quickly realised it was a bad idea. His torso flew off the edge too and as he tried to catch himself, his arms screamed from the strain. Turns out they weren't fully rehabilitated yet. He fell with a crash onto the floor but no one seemed to hear.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "You can do this." He stretched, using the beds to lift himself up. But as he reached the full height his arm length would allow, he began to huff and puff from the strain. He could stand but it was just a bit more. Just a bit more pain. He moved his legs into a stable position beneath him and pushed up. He was doing it. He was standing all by himself!

However, that wasn't enough. He lifted his right leg slightly and then placed it back down. The sweat dripped down his forehead but he breathed deeply, raising his other leg to step again but suddenly a nurse stepped out from behind a curtain.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Leon panicked and fell backwards, landing with a thud on his bum. "Ow!"

"You were told not to try anything without assistance." The nurse rushed up and heaved, lifting him back into bed. "It's a gradual process."

"I don't have time for gradual." Leon tugged his own covers up. As soon as she walked away, he was going to try for three steps, and then four. And no one was going to stop him.

"If you push yourself too hard, then you'll only slow down your recovery." She sighed and left.

"Are you trying to go and see Rachel?"

Leon looked over at Taran playing his game. "No, w— shut up, brat!"

Taran looked over, his eyes watering. "That was mean."

"I— I'm sorry, bud." Leon looked down at his hands playing with the white linen. "I'm just sick of being trapped."

Taran grinned, wiping away the tears. "I'm not really sad, see!" He then returned back to the strange device.

Leon rubbed his neck and looked over the strange little kid with his strange toy. "Who gave you that?"

"Santa," Taran replied matter-of-factly.

"No; I mean who actually gave you it. Was it Aleena?"

Taran looked at him with a mix of confusion and disgust. "No, Santa did." A huge grin exploded across his face. "It's hatching!"

"Hatching?"

Taran nodded vehemently. "My egg is growing up!"

What was this kid on about? "Into a chicken?"

Taran held out the device. "No! It's a green splodge with a cool feather!"

It was a strange virtual pet for sure. Usually, it was just a black square. "Cool… I guess."

~.~.~

"Is that her?" An image of a blonde girl burst onto the screen. However, it quickly shrunk and moved to a corner as three more boxes and faces appeared.

"Indeed; she has made the decision to join us."

"Hey, wait a minute." Aleena clambered off the bed and over to the computer screen, trying to find where to speak. "I didn't agree to anything. Where are they?" Were these videos? Were they live?

"You're looking at us, gorgeous." The voice seemed to belong to the brunet boy in the bottom left.

"Yo, she not even pretty, Alex!" The voiced belonged to a dark skinned girl with black and blonde dreadlocks.

Tyler slid closer to the screen. "Zalyea, calm down."

"What was her reason for leaving?" The voice wasn't as loud as the others. It belonged to a boy with black plastic glasses in the lower right.

Aleena pushed Tyler off his chair onto the floor and sat down in front of the screen to study the faces. There were two girls and two boys. The boy with glasses was pale with sporadic freckles. His messy blue and black hair made it hard to make out if he was even looking at the screen. "I left because I wanted to, got it?" she snapped.

"She's feisty. I like that." The other boy, with chestnut brown hair was grinning. His dazzlingly white smile made it hard to see that his gaze was focussed elsewhere than her own eyes.

"Ty, I'm coming round to meet her in person. I'll be five minutes," the first girl, with deep blue eyes announced suddenly. Her screen flickered off and the others rearranged to fill the space.

"Aleena, is this safe? Are we safe? As much as this reminds me of that scene in 'Revolution Seven – Back for Democracy', I think RODAF could be tracking us." He pulled at Aleena's shirt.

"I removed the tracking chip from my pager."

"You smart. Well, for a knucklehead." That Zalyea girl, who was a little chubby, was about to have her face rearranged.

"Are we sure she's left?" It was the quiet skinny boy.

Tyler leaned into the screen. "Zalyea, Lendie, behave."

Zalyea puffed and pouted while Lendie nodded apologetically. Clearly the scruffy raven haired idiot was their leader.

"I'll come round and inspect miss hotty closer." The screen of the brunet vanished.

"I have a family thing. Goodbye," Lendie announced, his screen vanishing as the doorbell rang.

Zalyea's box filled up the whole screen. "I'll come see that thing up close too, I guess." Her screen fizzled off and then the bedroom door opened.

Aleena burst to her feet, grabbing the desk lamp and bringing it to the intruder's neck. She slammed the blonde against the door, causing her to yelp. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Corinne Dalia; Tyler's friend." She looked at Tyler helplessly.

Tyler laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, she's okay, Aleena."

Aleena sighed and moved back. "Fine."

"Corinne." Tyler got up and the two hugged.

Corinne's fluffy red and orange jumper hung off one shoulder, the trainers were in pristine condition and her denim shorts were tiny. Was this all just a joke? Did they know who they were fighting against?

"It's nice to meet you." She pulled away from Tyler and looked at Talmon. "Is that your Digimon?"

"Yeah."

"He's cute." Corinne knelt down and reached for him.

"You could talk to me, you know." He scowled. "And I'm not cute. I'm a fighter."

Corinne patted him on the head. "You can't even reach Champion."

"I can!"

Corinne stood up. "Those 'spark' thingies don't count." She puffed out air. "We have a lot to teach you guys."

The doorbell rang and Corinne sighed. "Let us deal with Alex at first. He comes on a little…" She waved her arms about, looking to Tyler as she tried to grasp at the next word. " _Strong_ when you first meet him." She laughed.

"I'll get it." He sighed and left the room.

Corinne turned to her. "Why are you really here?"

Aleena shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"A boy was kidnapped by RODAF the other day. We were requested to save Taran, and we will do so."

That had to be the Taran she knew. Keeping her cool, she replied, "And?"

"Do you know anything about him?"

Aleena controlled her heart rate and breathing; if she could fool a lie detector, then this was easy. "I might have seen him, I dunno."

The bedroom door opened suddenly. "Well, well, this is a party for my eyes." Blue goggles hung around his neck, bouncing against his toned chest as he walked over. Tyler looked apologetic as the boy, complete with a low-cut blue t-shirt, wrapped his arm around her and sat both of them down on Tyler's bed. "Something as fine as you should've came to my attention sooner."

Looking directly into his brown eyes, she debated breaking his arm. "What—?"  
"Toad face, get your arm off her!" Corinne barked.

Alex winked, sliding to his feet, his light blue jeans rustling against the quilt. He wrapped his arm around Corinne and winked. "They'll be plenty left for you too."

Corinne shoved him to the floor. "Behave."

"What was that for?" He rubbed his head, his white trainers flailing about in the air as he sat up.

"Are you kids rough housing?" Tyler's mother. This was becoming more like one of those boring TV shows King enjoyed.

"This is The Resistance?" Aleena looked Tyler up and down. He was mostly wearing black and not nearly as vibrant as his comrades.

"No, mum, Alex just tripped over some clothes."

"I told you to clean up in there!"

"I know, I'll do it now!" Tyler closed the door and exhaled.

Tyler walked over to the drawers and picked up a small device. It had purple buttons on the front and a purple prong protruding from the white body. The screen took up most of the mobile-sized device, with a digital clock above it. "Have you ever seen one of these?"

Aleena shrugged. "I don't think so." A bomb?

"So RODAF doesn't give you Digivices?" Corinne looked to Tyler. "This might mean we can avoid fighting."

Alex moved next to Aleena, grinning. "A girl as fine as Aleena doesn't need a Digivice.  
Corinne glared at him. "What did I _just_ tell you?"

"We'll have to speak with Gimi." Tyler slouched back into the chair, looking up at the roof. "We need to get the Digimon now they've recovered anyway."

Alex pouted. "Gimi always tell the ladies not to trust me."

"You two, get your Digivices out."

Both of them did as they were told. Corinne's had yellow features and Alex's had red.

The bedroom door flew open. "I'm here, yo!" It was the other girl from the computer wearing a green top that barely covered her chest and a shiny pink jacket. Not to mention the green plimsolls that showed little concern for practicality. She pulled her Digivice—with black features—free from her leggings and pointed it into the middle of the room.

In unison, they all announced, "Digiportal open!" Instantly, Aleena was torn from her seat.

~.~.~

Andrew walked through the vehicle area outside the Debriefing Complex. The vehicles had been moved to the underground garage and the area was instead filled with supplies. Throughout the base, people were cleaning up and doing repairs.

Kayran turned and looked directly at him. "Where is Rori?" he yelled above the hubbub of activity.

Sheepishly, Andrew walked over. "I'm not entirely sure, sir." Laughing nervously, he continued, "She left RODAF."

Lord Kayran didn't explode, instead he looked deep in thought. "Rori and Aleena are both gone?"

"Yes, sir. Everyone else is accounted for."

Kayran looked at Andrew briefly. "Keep a close eye on Leon; he'll be sure to follow when he finds out. I'll deal with the issue separately."

Nodding, Andrew walked away. This was a punishment in disguise.

~.~.~

Rori sat in the outer eating area of Evan's Café. She was virtually alone in the cold as her cup of tea steamed away on the metal table in front of her while she nibbled at a cress and cucumber sandwich.

Orchidemon sat across from her on an equally uncomfortable metal chair, covered by a blue hooded jumper. "Rori?"

"Yes." Rori placed the sandwich down and lifted the tea to her mouth, sipping it.

"Someone near."

"How close?" Rori placed the cup down calmly.

"Fifty. Two male. Two Digimon."

Rori lifted the cup of tea. Two men with Digimon were less than a stone's throw from her. "They can't be RODAF yet, but we'll keep our guard up anyway." She poured the rest of the tea into a green insulating flask and stood up. Grabbing Orchidemon in her arms, she walked out into the street and saw them in the window of the first floor of the grey apartment block that overlooked the café.

Quickly, she walked down the pavement, moving past people until she turned into an alleyway on the right. Walking quieter, she could hear footsteps echoing behind. She looked up and saw a fire escape ladder hanging low. Leaping up, she pulled on it, tugging it down and clambering up hastily while Orchidemon flew after her.

As she reached the roof, she created some distance and then turned back to see her pursuers. "Orchidemon."

"Two Gabumon."

The human partners matching them were burly and muscular. There was a good chance she could take them but one punch would hurt like heck. Turning, she ran towards the other edge of the roof and leapt off.

Reaching out for the next building, she prayed this wasn't where it ended. Luckily, the rocky surface of the roof scratched her palms and she pulled herself up, shaking them. "Petal Swirl!"

Orchidemon unleashed the attack as she flew backwards towards Rori. The array of pink petals crashed into the Gabumon as they were shrouded in white speckled orbs of light, Green specks flickered across the surface. There were Digivolving. This meant trouble.

~.~.~

Lord Kayran thumped his desk, causing it to shudder from the force as he lamented that the tracker had briefly locked onto an area in the Digital World before disappearing. "Stupid malfunctioning piece of—!"

"Sir?"

Lord Kayran turned and saw one of his operatives. Lime green spiked hair and a glazed expression. "What do you want, Cory?"

The green haired seventeen-year old withdrew a lolly from his mouth with a pop. "I'm formally requesting to take over Trish and Tony's mission; I'm better than them."

"I see. You have my permission but only the first to bring them in will receive the reward."

Cory nodded. "I will not disappoint you."

~.~.~

Patricia Ascott groaned. She hated missions; she would much rather stay at Home Base and inflict pain on her enemies. She played with the zip of her purple leather jumpsuit as she searched for Tony O'Connor. It was their mission to capture or kill Rori Lizbeth.

Spotting the ginger haired male, Patricia shouted, "Come on, we've got stuff to do, Tony!"

Vimon, the small green snake that was Tony's partner, perked up. The bone helmet on her rattled slightly as she opened her mouth. "Drop the boxes, Tony. We have _real_ stuff to do."

A small pale blue bird with an oversized head landed on Trish's shoulder. The brown aviator-style helmet the Digimon was wearing slipped over her eyes. "Me too?"  
Trish sighed. "Yes, Bamon."

* * *

 **A day late, but here it is. How will Rori manage on her own now? Will she find Aleena? Who are The Resistance? And who will win the race to find Rori, Cory or Trony? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Just Another Digi-Day

_In Memory of Kouji Wada. May you fly to greater heights and be free._

* * *

Aleena slowly opened her eyes and tried to work out where she was. All around her was yellow flowers. This obviously wasn't Sabhailte. "Where are we?"

Tyler held out his hand. "This is the Digital World."

Aleena grabbed his hand and got to her feet while the others looked around. Simyan had mentioned this world's existence but it was against the law to go here. "Wow…" she muttered, staring up at the cloudless sky.

Zalyea slipped her Digivice back onto her waist. "Where we been chucked this time?"  
"If Len had been present, the location could have been more accurate. However, with four Digivices, we should still be nearby," Tyler said.

Corinne pointed over at a large stump in the distance. "Is that tree stump the one—?"

Alex shook his head, pushing his Divice back into the pocket of his blue trousers. "No, that was near a lake."

"What's this?" Aleena pointed over to a building that was surrounded by a concrete wall.

"Gimi's house!" Corinne ran off with Alex and Zalyea following quickly after.

"What's Gimi?" Talmon asked, leaping onto his partner's shoulders.

"You'll see." Tyler began to walk towards the building.

"Aleena?" Talmon looked down.

"She looked up and then back at Tyler. "We just have to keep moving, Tal."

Aleena held back a little as a wooden gate opened for the others ahead. "Tal, stay close." Following them through, she could hear a commotion inside of the building—which was in a traditional Japanese style—while they all stood on the gravel in front of the house. A loose brick near a tree to her left; a potential weapon.

One of the white panels slid open and an old man walked out, closing it behind him. "Talmon, my how you've grown!" A grin spread across his wrinkled face. Withdrawing a piece of red ribbon, he tied his shoulder-length grey hair into a ponytail and stepped down the wooden steps.

"And you are?" Aleena asked.

"Gimi!" He chuckled, rolling a coin across his knuckles. "It is my job to look after the British Digidestined." One eye looked at Aleena while the other made revolutions in its socket. "You're here for the Digivice?"

"Maybe."

Gimi tossed the coin up in the air and it exploded into confetti. He laughed. "You will have to prove yourself, you know. I have a super special way of doing that."

This man was completely crazy. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and tore off the top half of his blue bathrobe. He moved into a fighting stance. "Defeat me in combat." He glanced up at Tal. "No one may assist."

Aleena looked at Tyler and lifted Tyler off. This had to be a joke. "No thanks."

"I'll start us off then."

She laughed—he had to be kidding.

Abruptly, Gimi darted forwards and thrust his palm into her chest, throwing her back into the wall.

Gasping in a mixture of shock and pain, she took a deep breath and pushed herself up. She couldn't back down now; it didn't matter if he was a pensioner. Leaping forwards, she held up her arms as his foot flew at her face. The force threw her arms away and then a fist flew through the gap, knocking her back to the ground. This was becoming embarrassing.

"That pretty face is getting bust up." Alex covered his eyes, peeking through a gap in his fingers.

Aleena grasped at the ground as pain radiated from the bruise forming on her face. As the grit slid through her fingers, an idea formed. She grabbed a handful and leapt forwards, swinging her fist wide at Gimi before he had chance to attack.

Effortlessly, he blocked the attack.

Aleena grinned and release the grit as her arm was blocked, blinding Gimi.

As he staggered backwards, she took her chance, moving under his flailing arm and punching him into the throat, following up with a swift knee into his groin.

Gimi keeled over slowly, coughing.

Moving behind him, Aleena brought her elbow into the back of his head, she watched him fly into the ground.

Then he was on his feet and in front of her. His fists flew into her body quicker than she could muster a defence. A powerful haymaker to her side launched her across the garden and pain began to coarse through her body like a lightning bolt.

Aleena coughed, almost winded by the attack. "So, while the other oldies were playing bingo, you did this?"

"I still have time for bingo, A—"

Aleena charged, screaming and swinging her fists at him wildly. Feeling something catch in her fingers, she pulled. It was his hair and his head soon followed. Looking around as he struggled to get back up, she spotted the brick and dived at it as he got him. Rolling over, she swung it as he leapt onto her. The crunch was followed by his body exploding into hundreds of tiny multi-coloured cubes. All of them blew away in the breeze, which reminded her of dandelions.

Aleena panted, laying back. "What happened?"

Gimi looked over her, not a scratch on him. "You didn't learn anything."

"I won!" she yelled angrily.

Tyler reached out a hand. "Gimi confronted each of us with a plethora of stratagems. Each was designed to teach through the challenger's defeat."

Aleena rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you just say that?" His words were stupid.

"You had to lose to learn your lesson." Tyler pulled her up.

Alex ran over, puckering his lips. "Celebratory Kiss?"

Zalyea pulled him back by his ear. "It ain't over, fool."

"Hey!" Alex yelled, pulling himself free.

Aleena sighed. "What did I have to learn?"

"I had to learn to trust my comrades and myself."

"And you two?" Aleena asked.

"I had to learn to love." Alex winked.

"Kindness; you could do with that, girl." Zalyea smirked.

Aleena still had no idea. All that was left was Tyler. "What about you?"

Tyler placed his hand on his chest. "Me?"

"Yeah."

"My virtue was care—we played chess and it was problematic for me to comprehend this."

"Maybe that's me too." Aleena frowned, trying to think.

Gimi called out, "What do _you_ think you need to learn?"

Aleena had no idea. Flashes of those she had lost made her chest tighten. Gripping at her jeans she fought it and looked up. "I want to let go."

"A single word."

Aleena had no idea where to start. She hadn't been to school and didn't know fancy words. "Forgiveness." Rolling her eyes, she said, "I guess I'm sorry."

"Not remorse."

Aleena looked down at her hands. She could picture every life her hands had taken but could also remember those who pushed her to be like this. Aleena hated them all: her parents, Liz, Kayran. She clenched her fists as she thought about them and after a while her nails cut into her skin and blood began to trickle out. "I forgive you," she muttered.

A finger slipped underneath her chin and lifted it gently.

Aleena looked into Gimi's dark brown eyes and then between their gazes, a white orb appeared. As the light faded, a glowing Digivice with pale blue features was left floating. "Is that…?"

"Indeed."

Plucking the Digivice slowly, she was surprised by how light it was. The light of the Digivice seemed to resonate with her heartbeat, pulsating in time as the glow faded. "Thank you."

"Hands off my woman!" Alex yelled, running over.

Corinne pulled him back as Gimi stepped back. "Your companions are inside. And remember: Talking trees take two to tango!" His body turned into colourful blocks and he blew away.

~.~.~

Conan landed the helicopter on a rooftop in a secluded area of Centre Sector Two. "This is your stop," he announced through the intercom.

Patricia and Tony climbed out, with the former slamming the door shut with a grunt. "Time to strange that red-haired freak." Patricia withdrew the blacksnake whip from her waist, tugging it firm.

"Are we in the right place?" Tony looked around nervously.

"Shut up, Tony." Vimon's eyes turned red. "She's this way."

~.~.~

The large white wolves with jagged teeth and blue stripes charged forwards. Partner Digimon were stronger than wild Digimon and this meant fighting had now become a lot harder. "Orchidemon, give me some air!" Rori aimed with the Taser gun carefully as Orchidemon flapped her wings. Rori fired and watched the wind carry the charge to one of the men, crippling him as she fired again but the Garurumon blocked the attack with their bodies. Their data fizzled, destabilising and then they fell down the gap between the rooftops.

Orchidemon flew in front of her. "Run?"

Rori nodded. "Run."

Rori turned and ran, leaping onto the next building but ahead were two RODAF agents. The ginger haired duo: Tony and Trish. Bamon and Vimon were there too, which just increased issues.

"Orchidemon, we need a way out."

"Okay." Orchidemon closed her eyes and began to vibrate.

"Let's string her up by her toes before we take her back," Trish called out.

"It's nice of you guys to come all this way, but I'm gonna go. Say hi to everyone for me!" Waving, she ran off as Orchidemon exploded into pink smoke. Leaping off the edge of the building, she grabbed a washing line mid-fall, using it to slow her descent slightly. That was until it snapped and she was dropped into a garbage can with a thud.

Groaning, Rori flicked the banana peel off her shoulder and clambered out, running off as she heard the sound of the Garurumon giving chase coupled with the sound of blood pounding in her ears.

Quickly, Rori came out onto one of the main streets and the hustle and bustle momentarily startled her. She stopped a man in a suit with a tug of his jacket. "Where's the zoo, please?"

He shook her off and kept walking.

Rori sighed and looked around again, her heart pounding and her enemies getting closer. She rushed across the street towards a woman on a picnic bench.

Rori sat down, breathing a small sigh of relief. "Can I ask a question?"

The woman murmured in agreement.

"Where's the zoo, please?"

The woman looked up abruptly and Rori was a little taken aback. "You aren't from around here."

"How did you—?"

" _No one_ goes to the zoo." The woman looked around and then back at Rori. "Whom are you hiding from?"

Why was this voice familiar? "No one."

"I'll take you there." Getting up, she walked up the pavement, placing an injured bird, which had been sat on her shoulder, onto the shrubbery that lined the pathway.

Rori looked to her right, to check for her pursuers but there was no sign.

"Rori, where's Orchidemon?" The woman's brunette hair and oversized blue summer hat blocked any chance of seeing her features and investigating her identity.

"How do you know about Orchidemon?"

The woman's flip flops smacked against the pavement, her long white summer dress flowing around her porcelain skin as she turned her head briefly. "Not important." Handing Rori her blue parasol, she withdrew a white bag from inside of her dress. The woman tossed the back into the air, releasing a storm of seeds and causing a flurry of birds to pour down from above and blanket them as the woman dragged Rori through the hedge and to the other side.

"That should delay the Digimon Armada." She took her parasol back with her white gloved hand.

It was strange Rori hadn't heard of them before. "Who are they?"

"A group of Spanish origin against RODAF." Running across the road, she tugged Rori with her as cars beeped at them. "Most of the rebels end up corrupt, and they are no exception." Stopping she looked at Rori. "Fix your hair; you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards."

Rori debated bringing up the truth in that but resisted. "Thank you."

"I see." The woman turned and ran. "Keep up, won't you?" That voice. Why was it so familiar?

~.~.~

As Andrew finally left, Leon breathed a sigh of relief. For now, Andrew had no idea what he was planning.

"He's weird.

Leon had almost forgotten Taran was there. He turned and saw the little boy laugh. "You sort of get used to it." He looked down at the strange toy. "How's the pet, dude?"

Taran grinned. "It grew again! Now it's an even bigger ball with a bigger leaf!"

Leon half-smiled. "Cool."

Playing with the bedsheet, Leon looked at Taran nervously. This was nerve wracking. He leant closer and whispered, "Taran, do you know why you're here?"

Taran shrugged. "No one told me."

Glancing around to check if anyone was nearby, Leon continued, "Taran, you're special." Seeing the smile on Taran's face made him smile. "You will be able to do and see lots of amazing things." Taran's grin grew even more. "But…"

Taran pouted. "But what?"

"You don't have a life now. You work for RODAF or." He choked.

"Or what?"

"You, and everyone you love, they…" Leon looked down at his hands. "They don't survive."

Leon felt awful for revealing the truth but now was the time. "Taran, it's time for you to go." He looked around for anyone listening in. "I spoke to Conan last night; he told me he'll take you home but you have to go now. If you don't, then they'll put a tracer in your neck and you'll belong to them. That's the operation they mentioned earlier."

"But Aleena said to—"

Leon smiled. That angry ball of fire did have a heart. "Please, just listen to me. I'll create a distraction and then you run straight outside to the chopper."

Taran gripped his toy and shakily nodded. "I'm afraid."

Leon had expected as much. "Just be brave. Have a life, for both of us." He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I don't want you to be in my position in a year's time." Handing Taran his beanie, he said, "Find Aleena, she'll help you."

Taran took the hat, holding it in his little hand. "But Aleena's here," he muttered.

Is this how innocent he used to be? "She left and now they're making sure I don't."

"Is this a prank? My brothers do this all the time." The hopeful glint in Taran's eye almost crushed Leon.

"Sorry, buddy."

Taran gripped the hat and toy tightly. "Will I be okay?"

Leon nodded. "I promise."

Grabbing the bedside lamp, Leon look at Taran and nodded. "Go." He leapt off the bed and threw the lamp on the ground, shattering it. "Help!"

~.~.~

Taran took his chance and ran for the door.

A nurse obstructed his path. "You can't leave yet!"

He thought quickly, diving to the floor and sliding through her legs. Clambering back up, he ran out of the doors before she could spot and continued towards the man and the helicopter just outside.

" _Don't leave me."_

Taran looked around and searched for the source. Was that Leon? No, it was too cute. Leon was a big boy with a big boy voice.

" _I'm Pumon"_

Abruptly, the voice screamed in pain. Taran grabbed his ears but the sound didn't stop.

" _Help me, Taran…"_

"How?" Taran hated seeing people in pain. He had to do something.

" _Follow my voice."_

Taran nodded and began to walk towards the voice, which was coming from a building to the left.

The man from the helicopter grabbed him, his rough big hairy hands gripping Taran's shoulders.

"Get off!" Taran screamed but a hand clamped firmly over his mouth before he could say anything else.

"Howdy, it's me, Conan, son," he hissed. His white shirt was dirty and gross. He slowly moved his hand.

"We have to help Pumon!"

Conan sighed and let go, bending down so that they were at the same height. His faded blue jeans looked too tight now. "Who's Pumon?"

"My friend. Please, sir, can we help?"

Conan sighed. Checking the watch on his wrist, he rushed over to the plane. "Don't move, li'l guy."

He came back quickly, thrusting something metal inside the fluffy innards of his leather brown coat. "Okay, let's go." The man's calloused hands grabbed onto Taran's. He would much rather feel the inside of the man's coat. "Which way, partner?"

Taran pointed to the building he was facing. "This way, mister."

As they reached the building, Conan stopped him. "You sure, son?"

Taran nodded, murmuring enthusiastically.

"Stay close and give me directions whenever you can." Conan pulled him inside but held a hand in front as soon as they walked through the glass doors. Ahead, a man was walking away from them. With a flick of his wrist, a pole slipped into Conan's hand and he rushed forwards, bringing it into the man's face with a crunch. A quick strike to the back of the man's neck knocked him to the ground asleep. Conan was really mean. "Quickly, now, partner. Don't dally." But he did sound super funny.

" _Taran!"_ The voice sounded closer and yet quieter.

"We have to hurry, please," Taran begged.

Red lights and sirens began to blare. "They found his body." He turned to Taran. "Would you like t'give up?"

"Please, I'm sure we're close!"

"Fine." Conan sighed. "Where's it to now?"

" _Help me!"_

"I can hear him on my." Taran paused, holding up his hands and remembering the rhyme he had been taught to remember which was which. "Left." He looked up and smiled.

Conan shook his head and rushed over to a door, swiping a card against the machine.

The door beeped aggressively. It wasn't a nice door. "Hurry, mister!"

Conan groaned. "No clearance." He began to rifle through his pockets, withdrawing a white back with some white sticks inside and a lighter—like the one his mum used for birthday candles—before finally shaking his head.

Taran sighed. It was so much easier on TV. That gave him an idea. "Don't you have a special bomb?"

"Gimme a break, kid. I didn't know we were goin' to be breathing in, did I, gosh."

Taran giggled. He sounded like a cowboy.

Conan sighed, sweat beads forming on his forehead. "Oh, wait just one cotton picking minute!" He disappeared around a corner for a second before sprinklers and a second alarm began to blare. Conan reappeared and wiped his hands. "That should do it."

Taran screamed in shock as the cold water touched his body. It was like being stabbed by tiny shards of ice. He froze, like a statue, until Conan rubbed his arms comfortingly. He felt like he was back at home with his daddy. Taran really missed home.

"Just wait, partner."

Puffing out a breath of air, Taran tried to keep the wet curls away from his eyes to no avail. They had been waiting for ages now and still nothing. He looked up at Conan and frowned. "Why did you do that? I'm super cold now, mister?"

The door opened and a group of scientists rushed out, pushing them aside while using their folders to cover their heads.

Taran cocked his head to the side. This didn't make sense. "I don't get it."

"Shh, and follow me," Conan whispered, pulling him through the door as the last of the scientists ran off.

The room they entered was huge. It was so big that the stairs that led up to the door looked like they would take days to get down and the two people below were like ants. In the middle, where the people were, was a large translucent sphere. Computers were set up around it and one of them was shouting angrily.

Conan led him slowly down the steps. "Stay quiet." He pushed Taran's head down so both of them were hiding behind the metal wall that acted as a railing for the steps. "I'll go a little ahead."

Taran felt nervous but knew he had to be brave to save Pumon. As the rain stopped, he pulled on Leon's hat, tying the tassels underneath his chin to keep it on tight and snuggly.

~.~.~

Tracy Vanhelden was one of the most successful scientists in the world. She was desirable property for everyone concerned. And, yet, she was just an underling to that idiot who called himself a lord. Charles Kayran—what a detestable man. However, he did allow her a lot of freedom to play with test subjects and human rights did not apply while working on Home Base. However, this most recent test wasn't working.

Growling, she yelled, "This isn't working!" Her German accent had stuck with her despite her attempts to hide it to prevent the racial hatred rampant in society.

"Yes it is." Kayran looked at her. "We're so close to a breakthrough!" What a stupid man. So stupid it left her almost unable to fathom a response. Almost.

"Du bist sehr blöd!" After realising it hadn't been in English, she repeated, "You are so stupid!"

Kayran slammed his fist on the desk. "We have found the first activation energy of a Digimon. If we can harvest the second, then we will be able to provide the energy I need!"

"Up is too unstable! We need to go down!" Tracy shook her head as she looked at the meters finally falling back down.

"Down doesn't produce a quarter of the same energy!" Kayran yelled. "We do it my way."

The sprinklers stopped and Tracy looked up. "Danke." She withdrew her PDA and smirked as she saw the pressure sensors on the stairs had picked up a signal. "We have company."

* * *

 **What will happen to Conan and Taran? Who's Pumon? What connection does the woman have to Rori? And just what on earth is going on in Gimi's head? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Digimon Reveal!

Rori watched the woman walk over to one of the animal cages and slip a finger inside.

"You call that fixing your hair?" The woman looked over at Rori as she tickled a puppy. Her face was obscured by the hat but a brief smile spread across her lips before she looked away again. "Come here."

Rori did as she was told for some unknown reason. "What should I do about the—?"

The woman lifted a lock of Rori's hair from her face, grazing her gloved hand gently across Rori's cheek. She paused, smiling, and then placed it behind Rori's ear. "Perfect." This was so strange. Why did this woman care about her appearance?

Deciding to ignore it, Rori asked, "Why did you help me?"

"I didn't. I simply provided an escape route." She held out her arms, indicating the Pet Shop they had entered. "Endroit Caché." French? It was illegal to speak this in public. Did she want them to get caught? And it was a dead language. Almost no one could speak it.

Shaking it off, Rori asked, "What about—?"

"My turn." She looked at Rori's side and then back to her. "Where is Orchidemon?"

How she knew about Orchidemon still hadn't been revealed but she did seem trustworthy. "She used Noxious Gas; I'll have to go back in about a half hour when she's gathered her body back up."

The strange woman laughed and walked over to the rabbit enclosure in the middle of the shop. She leaned over the glass wall closest to them and stroked the belly of a white rabbit sat on a bed of straw. "Perhaps one of these would come in handy?" She lifted her hand away from the rabbit with a shiny white and green object dangling from a green throng of fabric in her hand. The screen of the device had a video of Orchidemon sleeping in a white room with a green 'D' in the corner. It was beyond creepy.

"Where did you get that?" Rori grasped for it but it was pulled out of her reach.

"We don't snatch, Rori." She smiled and slipped it into a pocket of her dress. Rori decided not to question how the woman had a dress with pockets; everything else about this woman was so bizarre that a dress with pockets seemed comparatively normal. "I'll tell you about the Digivice later."

Rori wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't remember if she had even told the woman her name. That strange woman certainly hadn't shared her own.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?"

Her mind went blank. She hadn't been expecting that question at all. Truthfully, RODAF agents weren't meant to have romantic affiliations, especially with those outside of the organisation. "Erm…"

"Well?"

"I guess I haven't found someone yet," she said uncertainly although a few faces flickered into her mind as she spoke.

Pouting, the woman replied, "That's a shame."

A man appeared behind the till point, his gaze trained on them. Suddenly, Rori was pulled in front of the woman, with the back of the woman to the till point. "I have to go." Rori saw water rolling down the woman's cheek and then suddenly she stepped back, the dim light of the shop obscuring her face.

Rori reached to grab her but the woman stepped further away. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Use the back door. Tell him you know Karen. The zoo is straight across the road when you leave." She reached out a little, her fingers quivering but shook her head. "Stay safe just a little longer." With that, the woman ran from the shop. She didn't even give Rori time to digest the information.

Rori felt like she might know her but resolved that it had been a long day and her intuition was probably just off. And even if she did, she had met lots of people. She walked over to the till. "I know Karen."

He looked her up and down, chewing gum lackadaisically and then lifted a section of the counter. "Be quick," his voice was croaky and sounded like he'd been in a fire. And his face also showed this.

Rori shook off her thoughts on the man and rushed through the gap. Her cardigan was unusually heavy on one side, swinging and hitting against her. Had someone planted a tracker on her? As she dashed through the cluttered back room of empty cages and boxes of pet food she reached into the pocket and saw the strange object from the rabbit cage. Pulling open the back door, she looked back as the doorbell rang. Rori felt her heartbeat skip a beat and knew she had to get moving.

She sprinted across the road but stopped as she saw the fence impeding her path. Looking at the handle, she noticed it lacked a lock and so booted hard, forcing the rusty gate open just enough to slip through. Rori strained, pushing it closed behind her and ran across the gravelled path. If she got just far enough ahead then she would have time.

"Howling Blaster!"

Rori turned back and saw the gate blown apart by blue flames. Pulling the strange device out of her pocket, Rori shook it. "Orchidemon, tell me how to help you!" she yelled, panicked. She couldn't win this fight—there was no way it was even remotely possible. The paws thudded behind her as her heart pounded in her chest. "Orchidemon, please!"

~.~.~

Controlling his breathing, Conan walked out onto the paved floor of the room.

"What are you doing here, operative?" Kayran barked.

"My instruments were just going haywire like a bull in a barn house so I searched for the source to see if I could tinker about, captain." It was unlikely Kayran could falsify this claim but that didn't mean his life was safe just yet.

"Leave," Tracy spat.

Conan walked slowly towards the sphere. He could see a Digimon inside. It looked like a pale shade of green and seemed to be close to death. Blowing out air, he asked, "Wowee, what's this here?"

"Conan." Kayran's voice was stern so Conan turned to look at his boss only to see the barrel of a gun. It wasn't the first time this had happened but that didn't make it easier. "Leave now and forget what you've seen." Kayran pulled back the hammer of the silver revolver. "I won't ask twice."

Gulping, Conan realised there was no choice. He held up his hands. "You don't have to; I'll go." Withdrawing his gun, with the speed and dexterity that had taken years to hone, he shot Kayran's spleen and then moved to the side to avoid the retaliation shot. As Kayran fell to the floor, Conan grabbed Kayran's gun, simultaneously shooting Tracy in both shoulders with his own gun. Killing them in front of a kid wouldn't be cool.

Tracy looked at the blood that stained her hands and passed out instantly. So, she really was afraid of blood.

Waving over to the door, he yelled, "Come on, Taran!"

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Kayran growled through gritted teeth as he grabbed his abdomen and struggled to get up.

"Believe me, sir, I do." Kicking Kayran in the back to knock him back onto the ground, he walked over to a timid Taran and grabbed his hand. "Just keep calm, partner and look for a release button." He led the boy over to the console and turned back to see Kayran unmoving on the ground. Conan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to help Taran. They didn't have long before they were found.

Something hard struck him in the back of the head and his vision fizzed like an old television for a second before he collapsed to the ground. This could only mean Kayran was angry. Rolling over, Conan felt Kayran's full body weight as the army veteran leapt on him. Conan pulled the trigger once in Kayran's abdomen, aiming for his liver. Although an exact target was impossible right now. Blood squirted over the both of them but a fist was in his face a second later. Conan felt warm blood trickle from his nose and rolled his eyes. This wasn't going to plan.

Crashing his knee into Kayran's crotch, Conan booted the other man to his feet and then followed suit quickly. As they looked at each other, Conan loosed off two more shots and both penetrated Kayran's right shoulder.

Kayran roared in pain and charged again.

Conan moved to a boxing stance, slipping his gun away.

An alarm interrupted the brawl and the sphere began to open before as Kayran reached him. Kayran looked back at Taran, his arm still raised.

Taking the chance, Conan fired a shot straight up through Kayran's right fist.

The agony on the leader of RODAF's face was immeasurable as the bullet exploded out of his elbow. Somehow, Kayran managed to ignore the pain long enough to toss Conan across the room and charge towards Taran.

Conan scrambled to his feet and sprinted after his boss but it was too late.

Kayran's foot collided with Taran and sent the little boy flying into the wall with a painful thud. "Stupid brat." The army general began to tap away on the computer, cursing loudly.

Conan tackled him to the ground and unleashed a few punches but Kayran reversed their positions and began to release his own blows. "Taran, rescue Pumon!" Conan yelled as he head butted the old blond in the head.

Kayran rolled to the side; having taken such a beating that not even he could keep going. "Stop it, right now!"

Conan got up, looking at him briefly with pity, but ignored it and shot him in both legs with the revolver. Breathing a sigh of relief, Conan staggered over to the lifeless green Digimon, hanging by wires and restraints, and tore it free. He turned to walk over to the unmoving body of Taran but a hand grasped onto his ankle and pulled him to the ground.

Conan rolled over, seeing Kayran grinning a bloody grin. The revolver had one bullet left and he couldn't waste anymore of the emergency handgun's bullets. Growling, Conan booted Kayran in the face repeatedly until his grip slipped. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed over to Taran as the little boy woke up crying.

"It hurts!" Taran wailed, tears streaming down his face.

"Let's go." Conan hoisted Taran over his shoulder as Kayran shouted after him. Charging up the steps, he saluted to Kayran and then slammed the door shut behind himself.

Conan leaned back on the other side of the door. Exhausted, he puffed and panted. It was like he was a young'un again with all that fighting and shooting. However, he wasn't the spring chicken he thought he was. Resting Taran and Pumon down, he looked up at the alarm and closed his eyes for a second as Taran's sobbing became softer. His chest heaved and he felt a little sick. Had he gotten that out of a shape? "Phew."

He waited until almost all the tears were gone before looking at the little brunet. "Howdy, can you run, kid?"

Sniffling, Taran said, "Everything hurts…" He rubbed his eyes and pointed at Conan. "Why is your face red?"

"I'll carry Pumon." Conan reached for the Digimon but Taran picked it up, shaking his head. "Alright, stay close, kiddo." He wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket while checking both directions ahead of them. Grabbing two used tissues from his pocket, he rammed them into his nostrils. "It's clear, come on."

As they reached the exit, Conan spotted a large gathering outside. Stopping, he bent down in front of Taran. "Act calm; I'll take care of Pumon." He pulled Pumon from a slightly reluctant Taran, and then tucked it inside of his jacket, zipping it up.

Taran's hospital gown billowed around him and he grabbed onto Conan's arm. "I'm cold and achy." He began to shiver, his teeth clacking together.

"Not long now, partner." He grabbed Taran's hand and led him out.

Conan slipped into the crowd of chattering people and worked his way through it but as they reached the other side, he saw security guards gathered around his helicopter. "Wait here." Conan pushed the little boy back, ignoring his worried look. "Trust me?"

Taran's lip trembled before he nodded. "I trust you."

Conan patted him on the back and then walked over to the group of guards, taking the tissues out of his nose and dropping them to the ground.

"I have to be somewhere; you guys are going to need to move." Conan kept his cool as he walked up to the group.

The guard closest to him laughed. "No one goes in or out without Lord Kayran's say so."

Conan clenched his jaw before realising he had no choice but to lie, after all it wasn't like Kayran could deny it. "I have his say so."

Another guard, more senior, walked over, standing in front of the previous guard. "We need proof."

Conan clenched his fists. At this rate he was going to have to give up.

"What's up with your face?" the senior guard asked.

"Nosebleed." Conan reached into his pockets for his handgun. He was going to need to fight his way out. "I don't suppose either of y'all have any tissues—I'm all out." He felt cold metal against his palm and remembered the revolver as the guard handed him a tissue. Quickly zipping up the pocket with his other gun in, Conan withdrew the revolver. "This is his private gun, partner. He said to show it to y'all because he's too darn busy." Conan held it out to the closest guard and stuffed the tissue up the nostril that was still bleeding. "Much appreciated."

They looked it over. "There's no proof you didn't steal this."

Conan shrugged. "If you fancy a tussle with Lord Kayran, then feel free, ain't no beef with me."

The senior guard waited a moment and then pulled his comrade aside and began to whisper.

Only one guard came back. "Fine, but only you."

Conan cursed under his breath. They were making this difficult. "Thank you kindly, I'll let Kayran know how cooperative you were." He looked at the name badge, pretending he cared. "Terrance." Conan walked over and pulled open the door of his private plane. "You might wanna move back so I don't hit you!" he called as he climbed inside.

They did as they were told and he thanked the heavens as he closed the door. Rolling down the window of his door, he flicked switches with his other hand. Grabbing hold of the controls, Conan lifted the plane slowly into the air and looked around to check the area before veering into the crowd. He only had one chance. Thrusting his arm out of the window, he grasped hold of Taran's hand and pulled him through the window as everyone backed off.

Closing the window, he pulled a seatbelt over Taran and flew away from Home Base before anyone had chance to stop him. "Didn't think I forgot you, did you, kid?"

Taran sheepishly looked down, kicking his legs. "Yeah…"

"After all the hassle you caused me? Not likely." He laughed.

Taran blushed. "Sorry, mister."

He reached over and patted Taran's head before returning his attention to the controls. "Oh, I nearly forgot." He unzipped his brown jacket and handed Pumon to Taran. "Mission Success, eh, partner?"

"My arm hurts." Taran rubbed the arm Conan had used to pull him up. This kid was softer than butter in the dog days of summer.

~.~.~

Taran looked out of the window as they flew, amazed at the sights. Conan was flying low now so he could see so many big things that were little because they were high up. It was so amazing! His hand beeped and he looked down to see the virtual pet screen with a message on. It read: _Withdraw Digimon into Digivice? Yes or No?_ The message flashed constantly, demanding his attention. When he had wanted to stroke the egg he just clicked the screen. Looking at Pumon, he frowned. It needed to be somewhere warm and comfy and this toy was really warm in his hand. Tapping yes, he looked over to Pumon to see that it had disappeared.

Looking back at the toy in a panic, he saw that in the corner of the screen was now a little green D and Pumon was sleeping.

"Where'd he go, kiddo?" Conan brushed back some of his hair with his fingers.

"In here, I think, mister." Taran held up the Digivice.

~.~.~

Aleena looked at Tyler. "Friends?" What on earth was he on about?

Zalyea and Alex were already running to the doors of the building.

Corinne walked over. "Our Digimon."

"You keep them here?" Aleena looked down at Talmon. "Why?"

Tyler nodded. "It's the safer alternative. Digimon, as I'm sure you are aware, are illegal and the public opinion is mostly negative. Combined with this, they were recuperating following a previous encounter and data recovers faster in the digital world due to—"

"Tyler, sweetie, you're rambling," Corinne said, patting him on the shoulder.

An amorphous mass erupted as Zalyea pulled the door open, knocking both her and Alex to the ground. A green frog like creature stopped on Zalyea's chest. With red horns on its head and a drill protruding from its chest, it was definitely not a normal frog.

Alex's partner also resembled a real animal. The black cat nonchalantly walked around him, taking stock as he sat up. The Digimon shook its body and Aleena was beginning to think it was a real cat.

A purple cloud of smoke appeared in front of Tyler abruptly.

Aleena felt herself flash back to Alphamon exploding through the trees. The memories were becoming so hazy now. Shaking herself free, just about, she realised it was Tyler's partner and appeared to lack any features apart from three red eyes near the top of its ghostly body.

Aleena looked down at Corinne's feet to see something that shocked her. It looked like a lion cub—from Africa, but those had long since died out—except for the orb of light attached to its tail.

A strange blue bipedal Digimon was padding about but it didn't make sense. Why would there be a fifth Digimon if there were only four kids? It had three blue tails swishing about as it padded over to them slowly. " _Tyler_?" Its voice was whiny and elongated the end of the name.

"Yeah, Iontramon?"

It looked up at her and Corinne and then hid behind Tyler's legs. "Where's Len? I miss him."

"Who's Len?"

"He's the fifth and final member of The Resistance," Corinne explained as she picked up her partner. "Did you miss me, Lummon?"

"The sun's so shiny today…" The Digimon seemed dazed and stupid to say the least. Was this really what she had agreed to join?

"Len's back home, you can share with Idomon, right?" He looked at the ghost Digimon.

"I suppose." Idomon, if that's what the ghost was called, seemed less than enthusiastic about the proposal.

Aleena looked down at her Digivice as it buzzed away, popping up with names and data about the other's Digimon. This thing was a huge tactical advantage if things went sour. Pointing it at the lone Digimon, details popped up and were subsequently read out loud.

 _Iontramon, Rookie level, Vaccine, Deep Savers._

 _With a Cool Beam, it'll blast you away!_

"Why is the weird thing hiding?" Aleena asked. The information on the screen was all new to her. Although she vaguely remembered Simyan talking about types of Digimon.

"He's nervous around girls, well, and feminine Digimon," Corinne explained. "Take no notice.

Zalyea walked over. "This is her, Gaimon." She burst into laughter, doubling over and clenching her eyes shut.

Aleena turned to see the frog Digimon next to the irritating girl.

"I see what you mean, yo!" The little green Digimon started laughing too and Aleena could feel herself becoming irate.

"If you want a new hole in your face, keep laughing." Aleena stepped towards her but felt Talmon grab hold of her leg and Corinne touch her shoulder.

"Zalyea's just kidding." The blonde girl smiled and looked over at Alex. "Al, come over and bring Felismon!"

The black cat padded over unaided, Alex rushing over ahead. "Meet Aleena," he said, turning to his partner.

Felismon swished her tail and then sat down. "Another girl for you to leer at? _How enthralling!_ "

"Time for everyone to put their partners away," Tyler announced before Aleena could stamp on the glorified feline.

"What do you mean?" Aleena looked down at Talmon. "He stays with me."

"Damn straight!" Talmon pronounced proudly, sticking close to her. "We're partners."

Aleena looked down at him. It was strange how attached they had grown to each other.

Tyler sighed. "There are legal issues to maneuverer if our partners are out, also their data can become unstable during transfer."

"I'll take the risk. I'm not locking him up."

"Well, if it is required in future, scroll through the functions by swiping on the front and tap the screen when you're happy. You should only have Encompass and Digiportal to choose from."

Aleena tapped the Digivice screen and it came alive, revealing two options with icons to accompany them.

"Before you go—"

The sudden voice made her heart pound against her ribcage. She swung her fist at the voice behind her as she felt her skin become clammy. She felt a hand grab her and opened her mouth to scream but stopped when she saw it was Gimi.

He placed his hand gently behind her neck. "The chip stuck to your spinal cord has been causing a bit of a doozy to the data here and I can't mask its signal forever, so I'm just going to-" He pulled his hand away. "Poof, it's gone."

Gimi leaned in to her ear. "Answer doesn't always start with A." He walked off to his house. "Don't tickle any pigs, now, kids!"

Zalyea groaned. "He never makes any sense."

"It's time to go," Tyler said, withdrawing his Digivice. With a tap of each of their screens, the Digimon turned into small blue lights and were absorbed into the respective Digivice. "Aleena, now press the Digiportal button at the same time as us and think of my home." Tyler looked at the others and nodded. "Digiportal, open." Tyler pressed the button, as did the others and they were sucked away.

With a thud, Aleena felt her senses return. She could feel Talmon, at least she thought it was him, by her side.

An unfamiliar voice broke through the movement of the others. "Tyler?"

~.~.~

Rori heard the chorus of attacks behind her as she ran away. Shards of ice flew at her continuously as she darted about. Diving behind an abandoned food stand, she covered her head. Abruptly, she was thrown through the air and into the fountain. The cool flow of the fountain pulling at her hair would have been soothing if not for the pain that emanated from her wounds and the constant threat of her attackers.

Rori reached for her fallen beanie as the paws pounded on the pavement towards her. She knew that all she had to do was find some way to get out of their sight and until then she just had to believe in herself and Orchidemon. A jolt of energy filled her body and she felt the urge to stand. She pulled her beanie on and squeezed a button down on her Digivice. It was like someone else was in control.

The Digivice vibrated and then spat out a tunnel of green light. Rori clenched her eyes shut, afraid of what was happening.

"Rori?"

The voice made her heart stop. She didn't even have to open her eyes.

"Orchidemon…"

"Rori, battle."

She opened her eyes and saw the two men now stood in front of her. "Let's go, come on."

"Digivolve to Champion."

"Get her!" one of the men barked.

She had no time to worry about her fears. She just had to believe in her partner. She tried to ask how to do it but was shocked as a hurricane of green energy burst from her mouth and wrapped around Orchidemon. It morphed into an egg and lifted up into the air. Was she really Digivolving?

~.~.~

Data rippled up and down Orchidemon as her arms and legs elongated. Her body became more humanoid as the leafy wings shrank into her back and a large white rotor exploded out in place. Vines wormed up her arms and legs as long blonde hair spilled out of her head. A leaf covered up her face as more foliage interlocked to create a dress and eye holes were cut into the leaf on her face. She snapped her fingers and the egg shattered.

~.~.~

"You're different..." Rori muttered. Her Digivice vibrated but she put it back into her pocket, too awed to do anything but watch.

"Chrysanthemon." She flew forwards and stopped in between the two Garurumon as they opened their mouths to unleash another jet of fire. "Rotary Twist!" She twirled in the air, her leg coated in blue energy, and kicked the Digimon back.

Chrysanthemon held out her arms and leaves appeared around her and one of the Garurumon. "Leaf Dance!" The leaves around the Garurumon exploded and those around her formed a shield as the other Digimon leapt at her. The leaves enveloped the wolf Digimon as it hit the shield, exploding and throwing it back as Chrysanthemon leapt away. "I'll be fine."

Rori knew it was lies but she had to believe in her partner and hurry. She turned and ran, biting her lip to hold back the anguish she was feeling over her decision.

She slowed down in front of a large enclosure and saw a gorilla inside. She wiped the dust and muck from the plaque in front of the cage and read it aloud, "Sarah the Gorilla." She looked up. "You were twenty two just a few weeks ago." She gripped the stand tightly. "I…" Her knuckles began to turn white. She thumped the wall of the enclosure. "I hate you!"

The gorilla charged, slamming against the reinforced glass wall.

Rori felt herself shaking. At first it was fear, and then anger before exhaustion took over. She staggered backwards and slumped onto the bench in front of the enclosure as the beast walked away. It was amazing they still had animals here even though no one came but Rori was glad they did. She needed some sort of peace—some closure—before she went any further.

In the middle of the bench was a dirty copper plaque. Using the sleeve of her cardigan, she scrubbed it clean. "It's been a while since we last talked." She blushed. "Sorry it took so long; they keep me so busy." She felt a feeling of warmth surround her, despite the chilling wind. "I'm going to live how you wanted me to, now, and love our planet." Rori looked up, feeling melancholy. "As soon as I bring down RODAF, I'll be able to be one with the earth again." She smiled, her lip trembling. "Say hi to dad for me, okay?"

"I miss you both more and more every day." Clenching her eyes shut, she tried to stay strong. "Even when it's killing me, I don't show it. I'm strong, like you told me to be." She felt the tears fill up behind her eyelids until they overflowed and trickled down her cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she sniffed, trying to hold it all in. She wiped the tears away with her sleeve, and whispered, "I'll make you proud one day."

Rori gripped her knees tightly. "I might not see you again for a while but I want to say, now that I'm older, I am so proud of you." She sniffled. "When people ask, I tell them about the amazing things you did, not—" She clenched her teeth tighter as the tears continued to fall. "Not after you..." It was too hard. "Not about how you…" The words were suffocating her.

Footsteps to her right. "Died?"

* * *

 **Who's that at the end? Where are Taran and Conan going? What will Aleena do next? And, why do I do these at the end of every chapter? (I find them fun!) Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	18. Chapter Seventeen: The New Arrival

Walking down the hallway, he briefly glanced at his reflection in the window. His shoulder-length curly red hair was covered by his black Stetson hat. His eyes—black as coal—were a sharp contrast to his Caucasian skin. His matching black clothing concealed his weaponry, which was necessary given the situation.

He pushed open the door ahead as a voice called after him.

"Stop, you can't go in there!"

Walking inside, he held the silver door firmly as the woman who had been chasing him ran straight into it and collapsed to the floor with a thud. He slipped one of his swords underneath the door handle to stop any other intruders and then turned to the lavishly furnished room. Bright rays of sunlight poured in from the glass wall to the left, lighting up the grand oak desk of the man he had come to see.

"Sheila? Set the coffee down on the minibar." The man, Charlton Watkins, was joint President of the human world and the Mayor of Sabhailte. Charlton didn't look up from his papers, gesturing to the other end of the room.

"I'm afraid I'm not here to serve you coffee." He stepped onto the red fur rug in front of the desk.

President Watkins glanced up and then his face dropped. "Who are you?" His fat arm began to wobble as he smacked the underside of his desk. "Security!"

Lifting the hat from his head, he smirked and ran his fingers through his red locks before placing it back onto his head. "The button's disabled, President Watkins."

The President began to rifle through his drawers. "Who are you?"

"Your emergency handgun?" Spinning the gun in question around on his finger, he flicked the catch and the magazine dropped out, landing softly on the rug. "While you were in the bathroom yesterday." He dropped the gun. "No need for any blood loss, eh?"

The President began to stammer.

"I'll seat myself." He took a seat on one of the two green leather armchairs in front of the desk.

"Just who are you?" he whispered, his voice a mixture of fear and anger.

"What is it you want?" The President asked, slamming his hands on the table. "Money? Weapons?"

"All I want is your cooperation."

"On what?" The President was suspicious. Rightly so.

He glanced at his reflection in the president's desk lamp. "Clear out Sabhailte. Every man, woman and child must be gone immediately."

"I can't authorise such a thing!"

He glanced briefly at Watkins, resting his eyes coolly on the middle-aged man. "Lies only waste time. You have an hour." He stood up and walked towards the door, stopping to look back. "Lobo, Lobo Azul." Picking up the sword, he grabbed the door handle. "If your people aren't out of the city I won't be responsible for any casualties." He holstered the weapon and walked out.

~.~.~

"How dare you?" Rori screamed, she turned to look at the voice with her fists clenched. Her blood felt like it was boiling in her cheeks.

The red haired man's eyes were obscured by the shadow of his hat. "I'm here to help, Rori."

"How dare—! Who are you?" Rori felt herself shake with fury.

Tipping up the hat slightly with the tip of his finger, he smiled. "Lobo Azul. Your new Digivice can do more than just heal and Digivolve your partner. It's there as a symbol of your bond with your Digimon, and so it benefits you as well." Looking over a scrap of paper, he crumpled it up. "I think that's everything I was told to tell you…"

In her rage-blinded eyes, the only thing she could see was the target sign on his pointed nose. Moving swiftly, she kicked at it, unable to resist any longer.

He ducked under it, now standing behind her. "Let's save Orchidemon, instead, shall we?" He lifted her into the air, swinging her body over his shoulder with ease, and began to run through the park.

She kicked, slapped, and screamed but he didn't seem to notice. There was no way she could wiggle out of his ironclad grip. "There's two champions! You can't!"

"We'll give it a go anyway, eh?"

Ahead, Chrysanthemon had been battered and bruised and now the Garurumon stalked around her as their human counterparts jeered and cheered. Her data spiralled upwards and she was barely moving at all. It made Rori feel sick, guilty and annoyed.

Lobo put Rori down, keeping her arms tight to her side and kneeling down to just above her eye height. This man truly was a mountain in human form. "I'll go stop this. Stay here."

Either way, she would get rid of someone she didn't like and she had a chance of saving Orchidemon, however small if she did as he said. "Whatever." She crossed her arms, not expecting much.

Lobo let go of her arms and walked over to them. "It's time for you guys to leave."

They laughed and one of the Garurumon charged.

He pulled off his cloak, revealing the weaponry beneath. A small chunky sword sat longitudinally in the small of his back with another perpendicular in between his shoulder blades. On either hip was a holstered pistol. All of them were coloured a mixture of blue and silver. As the Garurumon leapt at him, claws bared, he withdrew the chunky sword and flicked it. It extended swiftly to become much larger and he smoothly brought it straight through the Digimon in a clean swipe.

While Lobo continued to walk forwards slowly, Rori watched the wolf Digmon fizzle like an out of tune television for a second before exploding into data and reforming into a white and blue Digiegg. It worked just like the weapons of Spark Digivolved Digimon.

"Is it time for the other one?" Lobo leant on his sword.

"Get him!" the other man yelled.

Blue flames rippled from Garurumon's mouth, forming a swirling inferno of cobalt. Seemingly taking it in his stride, the man ran straight at the fire. He brought his blade through the flames, cutting and subsequently dispersing them, and continued until the steel tore through the Digimon on the other end. It mimicked the previous Digimon's demise and then Lobo held his blade above the egg. "You have until the count of three before I permanently delete the Digimon."

Neither of them seemed to take this well, both running at him. He slipped his blade, shortening it again in the process, into the holster on his back and brought a fist into one stomach and then kicked the other's ankles. Both fell to the floor where he crashed his fists into the back of their heads and they stopped moving.

Rori was a little stunned by his prowess. He would even defeat Cory or maybe even Alice in combat. Her partner slowly turned back to Orchidemon—releasing orbs of data—and began to groan. She rushed over; her usually silent partner wouldn't groan for no reason.

Cradling the Digimon in her arms, she felt physically sick. "Orchidemon, are you okay?" She held the Digimon to her chest as the tears began to fall. She had done this; she was responsible. "I just didn't know what to do. I thought it might be the end and I wanted to see her just one more—"

"I forgive." The words were soft but they meant everything.

She gripped her partner tighter and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to lose you!"

"Please let go, you hurt," Orchidemon whispered hoarsely.

Rori laughed, relenting her grip slightly. "Sorry."

"How did you do that?" Rori looked up at the strange man.

Looking back at her, he said in a deadpan voice, "I'm not normal." He raised an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

"How did you know about me?"

"I have a Digimon too." He held up a Digivice that was similar but different to hers.

"Where is he?"

" _She_ 's in the Digital World, we both have our own fight to deal with. I shall see her after."

"You're here to…"

He laughed. "If I intended to fight you or your partner, you'd both be dead by now. I saved you as a favour to an old friend but now I must take my leave." He picked up his coat, pulling it on and walking towards the exit. "Don't follow me."

Rori felt a niggling feeling that she had more to learn from him. "Wait!"

He looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"Can you teach me about the other Digivice stuff you mentioned? The ones to help me and Orchidemon?"

"No time." He waved.

"We'll die without that! Your old friend would want this!" It was a desperate bet but she had to hope it would pay off.

He checked his Digivice and sighed. "Don't fall behind."

"How do I heal her up?"

He sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

~.~.~

Riudramon looked upon Dreqadramon with disdain. The crimson dragon in front of her had lost her way. There was only one conceivable solution, and it was one which she had told Lobo long ago. They had to kill Dreqadramon and her partner, Raposo Vermelho.

The azure dragon faced her opponent in the air, a barren expanse beneath them. The terrain had been decimated by the battle and she was growing weary. It wasn't helpful that Lobo was using Vectors in the real world either. She had to end it now.

"Dreqadramon, I give you this final chance to prove your worth. Allow me to delete you and rejoice that you'll be reborn free of Raposo's evil intentions."

The other dragon seemed taken aback. Her wings slowed and her eyes softened, but it was only momentary. "Raposo isn't evil!" Her tail swished about violently.

"Either fight me wholly or I'll destroy you this time, Dreqadramon. I can't squander any more time on you."

"Fine, I will!" She reared her spiny red back and inhaled." Steam Out!" Two superfast jets of hot air shot out from her nose and towards Riudramon.

"Water Eruption!" Riudramon unleashed a cyclone of blue water from her mouth, using it as a shield against the hot air. Water vapour erupted as soon as the two attacks collided and she used its cover to make her move.

Riudramon flew up, hiding in the clouds above as Dreqadramon searched. "I'm not sorry." She began to spin around in a circle, building speed. "Storm of the Sky!" Energy coursed across her body, arcing into the sky and turning the clouds black.

She spiralled down through the clouds as the thunder boomed and lightning rained down, blowing apart chunks of the landscape. "Water coat!" The rain flew sideways towards her, cloaking her body as she flew straight at Dreqadramon.

The red dragon looked up at the last possible second. "Soul Stealer!" A beam of black energy erupted from her eyes and cut through Riudramon's liquid armour, burning her scales.

She moved to the side, spitting out a stream of water from her mouth. It couldn't be helped, there would be more injuries before she was victorious.

Dreqadramon dodged the attack. "Red Soul." Red energy shrouded her. "My love for Raposo will destroy you!" Dreqadramon charged through the air, her wings flapping furiously.

Riudramon's liquid coating swirled off, forming a wall of water and giving her a chance to retreat slightly as Dreqadramon burst through it, baring her fangs.

They clashed and locked claws as the spiked tail of her opponent crashed into her back, unleashing all of the red energy in a focussed blast that levelled a nearby mountain.

Riudramon bit down onto Dreqadramon's neck, forcing her sharp teeth through the scales. The red dragon screeched in agony but Riudramon simply bit deeper and jerked her head. Spitting out the chunk of Dreqadramon in her mouth, she threw the other Digimon at the ground with as much strength as she could muster.

Dreqadramon smashed into the ground, adding a new crater to the devastated landscape and releasing an earthquake. Not content with this, Riudramon unleashed a high powered lancet of water, using it to bore into Dreqadramon's soft underbelly. The attack quickly roused her opponent from her temporary defeat.

"I will win!" Dreqadramon screamed, flying up.

~.~.~

Lobo noted that Downtown seemed to be getting evacuated already as cars and people were ushered about by police. It seems that his meeting with President Watkins had worked. Withdrawing his Digivice, he placed his fingertips on the screen and flicked outwards. A holographic map came out from the screen in front of the Digivice. Pushing it with the palm of his hand, he increased the size and moved it further in front of the Digivice.

"How did you do that?" He had forgotten she was with him.

"There isn't time for a lesson."

He spotted the blinking red target on his map and some scattered blue dots. The map flickered and a group of blue dots appeared a little further away. Flicking the map with his finger, it turned into a three dimensional map of the whole city and he spotted the blue dots a few floors off the ground in a building. He had found them. "I have a group of people for you to meet so I can do my job in peace."

"Who?"

"Aleena and some other children that are Gimi's latest interests."

Rori grinned and then paused, seeming to think deeply. "What is the job you're doing? Maybe I can help."

At best she was nuisance, at worst she was going to put his and her own life in danger. "We need to get across town fast, any ideas?"

Rori looked up and smirked. "Maybe."

~.~.~

Tyler called, "Yes, mum?" It was his mum?

Aleena opened her eyes and saw the rest of The Resistance around the room. She turned to see Talmon by her side and felt immediate relief.

Tyler's mum yelled from the hallway, "There's an evacuation, I told you ten minutes ago. Let's go, I'll take everyone in my car!"

Tyler leapt onto the computer chair and wiggled the mouse while everyone gathered their bearings. The screen came to life and he immediately clicked on a small icon in the bottom left corner. Videos and pages of text filled the screen; it appeared to be a live newsfeed.

"Yo, what happened?" Zalyea stood up, stretching.

As Aleena stood up, she saw Alex whisper something in Corinne's ear and subsequently get hit. "Okay, Tal?"

Her partner nodded, standing up. "Nothing a good sleep won't cure."

The bedroom door swung open and a boy with black and blue hair and a frantic look on his freckled face ran in. "Guys, there's a missile strike or something!" She presumed it was Len. His tight fitting jeans and shiny blue trainers depicted much the same image as the others. They were regular children. Although, she was a little jealous of his green hoody; it was remarkably cold in Sabhailte at this time of year.

"What?" Alex said, standing up and beginning to panic.

"Calm down," Corinne ordered, sitting up.

"How can I calm down? I left my clothes, my hairspray, my games—" His eyes seemed to double in size. "My shoes!"

Zalyea laughed at the outburst but the others simply sighed as Alex tugged at his chestnut brown hair.

Corinne groaned as he began to hyperventilate and planted her lips on his.

The change in Alex was immediate. His face relaxed and his lips formed a smile.

Pulling away, she rolled her eyes. "That meant nothing."

~.~.~

Rori charged up the stairs with Lobo close behind. Gripping the Digivice tightly, she hoped Orchidemon was okay inside of it.

"This is the wrong way!" Lobo yelled for the fourth time. Yet he hadn't stopped following her.

"Just wait!" She pulled open the door ahead and sunlight obscured her view.

Covering her eyes from the glare of the sunlight, she walked out and slowly moved her arm away as her eyes adjusted. "Over there, right?" She pointed towards the Vermillion Tower.

Lobo looked at his map. "Indeed, but we can't fly."

"Just let me show you, you're worse than Aleena!" The cable car ran from this building to Vermillion Tower and then finally to the airport. It was for businessmen who wanted to go straight from the main financial centre in Vermillion to the hotel here but it was currently not being used. She grabbed Lobo's hand and ran over to the cable car and leapt on top of the metal box, dragging him with her by force. The cable car below them swung about as she withdrew a metal nail file. Sliding a catch, she flicked it to open up the butterfly knife.

She carefully checked again which rope to cut and then thrust the blade through and pulled back hard. It took a second or two but as soon as the wire gave way, the cable car rocketed down towards the other end of the cord. Below, people were snapping photos but Rori was too busy enjoying the experience to care. Wind rushed past her face and the accompanying rush of adrenaline made her heart skip a beat.

"Here." Lobo's voice roused her from her own little world.

Breathing deeply, she leapt off, aiming for the roof of the apartment block as it came close.

Lobo leapt after her, landing next to her as she adjusted her lucky beanie. "It's too cold," he grumbled.

Rori laughed, elation still filling her senses. "What a rush!" Her enjoyment didn't last long as she saw Lobo running for the stairwell door. "A thank you would be nice!" She ran after him while slipping the nail file back into the wiring of her bra.

After several flights of stairs, Lobo stopped, looking at his map. "Here." Without warning, he kicked the door in and the woman behind it screamed.

* * *

 **Who on earth is Lobo? What on earth is he? And what about Raposo? Rori keeps a knife in her bra!? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Is it Worth It?

Tyler rushed out of his bedroom after hearing the scream to see his mum's legs and arms waving about a sea of bags.

Corinne was right behind him, along with the others. "Mrs Remmie!" She pushed past Tyler to help up his mum. "Are you alright?"

"Felismon!" Alex got ready to use his Digivice but Tyler grabbed his wrist. It was better to find out if they were foe or friend first.

"We aren't here to hurt you!" a small ginger girl protested, holding up her hands.

Tyler looked the man up and down. "What's the purpose of this home invasion?"

"I'm here for her," he stood back, nodding at the girl. "I'd like to request your group look after her."

How on earth could he have known who they were? "How do you—?"

"I know Gimi."

"Rori?" The voice was unmistakably Aleena's.

Tyler moved aside to let Aleena and everyone else out of the room and into the small hallway. "You know her?"

"You left RODAF?" Aleena stepped out from the group.

"It wasn't the same without you." Rori smiled, walking towards her.

Aleena's fists were clenched. "You're an idiot, do you know what they'll do to you!"

The room rocked, the sound of an explosion shattering the windows and throwing them all to the floor. Lobo, the only one still standing, said, "Take her, I'll deal with this." He ran off as they clambered to their feet.

Zalyea helped Len up. "Yo, you can't stop a missile attack, fool!"

Lobo glanced over his shoulder. "It's not a missile."

"What is it then?" Len asked.

The enigma of a man sighed. " _He's_ called Raposo Vermelho."

Corinne helped Tyler's shaken mum into a seat. "One person just did _that_?" She looked at the windows and then back at Lobo, her brow furrowed.

"That's crazy!" Zalyea laughed.

Lobo shook his head. "He'll wipe out a city just to get at me, so, please, leave while you can." He stepped onto the stairs.

"He's got a Digivice!" Alex interjected.

Tyler noticed the familiar object on his waist, despite the minor differences. "You're one of us?"

Lobo looked down at his Digivice and then back at them. "I wouldn't go that far."

Corinne handed Tyler's mum a bottle of water and then looked over at him. "How will you stop him?"

Lobo reached into his pocket and produced a handful of strange silver pendants. "Catch." He threw one at each of them in turn. "These should keep you safe."

Tyler looked it over but couldn't work it out.

"You wear it." He finally disappeared from view, leaving them all to wonder so many things.

Tyler clenched the pendant in his hand and then looked back at the stairs. He turned to his mum and felt incredibly guilty. "Mum, be safe. We will see you later." He pulled on the pendant and walked towards the door.

"Tyler!" his mum protested, handing the water to Corinne and standing up to grab his arm.

Tyler turned and grabbed hold of his mum's hands. "Mum, I'll be okay but I want you to go get safe."

She squeezed his hands, shaking her head. "Tyler, this is too dangerous. I forbid it."

"Mum, we're going. He might need our assistance."

"You're children." Her eyes glistened and she pulled him into a hug. "You're my baby."

"Mum you know about Idomon and the others. They can protect us." He gripped his Digivice. And they would protect their partners.

"I do, and I also know they're illegal." She gripped him tighter. "Tyler, if I lose you—"

He leant into the hug. "That will never happen."

She pulled away, looking into his eyes as her own blue eyes sparkled. "I love you, sweetie."

"Mum, we've got to go." He looked at the others and then back at her, smiling. "So, stay safe." Tyler placed his hand on her shoulder and it reminded him of the very first time he was tall enough to do this. He had been doing it long before he was tall enough but in that moment he felt like he could finally be there for her when she needed him.

He turned, running out of the room. "Release!"

~.~.~

Zalyea burst out of the door last, Gaimon by her side, and saw the strange man ahead. In front of him was a colossal purple humanoid Digimon with three faces on one head. Thankfully, a red throng of fabric covered its groin. It was incredibly bulky and had stitches and bandages in various spots. Withdrawing her Digivice, she pointed it at the Digimon.

 _[In]Purpumon, Champion level, Vaccine, Nature Sprits, Nightmare Soldiers._

 _Beware of his Wallowing Wallop attack; when he gets mad, it really packs a punch!_

Before she could work out what the 'In' before its name meant, she saw Aleena and Talmon running at the Digimon while the strange man watched. What did she think she was doing? That thing was clearly not a normal Digimon. A ball of energy from Talmon exploded as it hit Purpumon's arm but the Digimon barely noticed and continued walking towards them.

Lobo pulled off his cloak and withdrew a small chunky sword from his back; with a flick of his wrist, it became a large broadsword. She could see he was well kitted out but it was that delectable bum that really caught her eye. Did he live in the gym? Suddenly, she saw that same bum rushing across the street, slicing through one purple leg and then the other. As Purpumon fell over—data spurting everywhere—Lobo ran up the middle, slicing the length of its body. The Digimon seemed to fizzle before reforming as an egg. With a bottom like that and the other weird stuff, she was beginning to wonder just what he was and how she could get herself one.

Lobo ran off and Zalyea looked to Tyler. Surely, he would know what to do. Seeing him run, she groaned. Zalyea hated running but if everyone else was doing it then this was the stupid decision she had to follow.

Lobo stopped and looked back at them. "You all have Champion level?"

"Of course we do!" Zalyea pronounced proudly.

"You?" Aleena asked Rori.

"Yeah, Orchidemon is the best!"

Aleena didn't seem too happy but this made Zalyea very happy. Bubble gum head needed taking down a peg or two.

Lobo nodded. "Go now."

She couldn't work out why they were having to do this but it seemed like the thing to do. "Gaimon, you ready?"

"As long as you don't gush on me like Tyler's mum, and I mean ever." Gaimon laughed as an orb of purple energy enveloped Idomon and lifted him into the air.

~.~.~

Idomon's body changed to a red blob and began to stretch into a humanoid shape. It continued to grow as a tail sprouted and a face like a gargoyle began to form. A black visor swung down over the face as torn black trousers materialised on the fully formed legs. Reaching out, he grabbed a pitchfork with his right hand, swinging it and smashing the purple egg. "Idolonmon." He looked down at Tyler briefly before tossing him onto his shoulder.

~.~.~

Corinne wasn't happy about it but she would have to fight. She looked down at Lummon and watched the little Lion cub gazing up at the sun briefly. It was a shame to wake her from her bliss. "Lummon." A red sphere obscured Felismon as Lummon was absorbed into her own yellow egg.

~.~.~

Felismon grew substantially as flames blanketed her body. Leaping forwards, she smashed through the egg and grabbed Alex by the scruff of his shirt, tossing him into the air and catching him on her head. "Kotturmon."

~.~.~

Lummon also grew but her body splayed outwards as it did. The fur changed to supple tanned skin and a tight white top and short skirt formed on the glistening feminine body. Her teeth became less sharp as luscious blonde locks rolled out of her head. She stepped into white shoes as a matching wizard's hat appeared on her head. Grabbing a gold staff as the finishing touches of her outfit formed, she swung it at the egg, breaking free. She picked up Corinne and held her tightly as she hovered off the ground. "Lummosmon."

~.~.~

"You know I ain't gushy, now get moving!"

"I'm going, yo!" the black egg covered her as Iontramon was covered in his own dark blue energy ball.

~.~.~

Iontramon, like many of the others, became humanoid. Aqua skin and muscles rippled across his body as six wings erupted from his back. Long blond hair swirled out from underneath a simple helmet and a blue toga swirled up his body while he condensed an icicle into a staff, freezing his own hair and wings in the process. The shell cracked and then shattered. "Iceangemon!"

~.~.~

Gaimon's drill swivelled round onto her back, growing substantially in proportion to her quickly expanding body. A black sash covered her eyes as Digicode appeared on her legs. Thumping her webbed foot, she ruptured the Digivolution Egg. "Gaiamon, yo!"

~.~.~

Chrysanthemon hovered next to Rori, who was looking up at her partner with a grin on her face. She felt bad that Aleena and Talmon couldn't do it yet but she felt so safe and warm with Chrysanthemon by her side.

"Vikaralamon is coming, you deal with him. Aleena, Lithemon is ours." Lobo sprinted off to the black flying blob ahead and Aleena looked back at them briefly before following him. Rori understood why. He just seemed to command so much respect. It was mesmerising really.

Rori looked around to see a mammoth Digimon rampaging towards them. Her Digivice beeped and she looked down at the screen.

 _[In]Vikaralamon, Ultimate level, Vaccine, Nature Sprits, Nightmare Soldiers._

 _This pig isn't a pushover; if you're caught in his Boar Bog, it's all over!_

This was a weird but useful feature.

"Tyler!" Corinne shouted.

"I know, I'm trying to work out what _In_ is too!"

Did they mean the bit before its name? Suddenly, the shaggy brown beast was nearly in front of them. They had to act. "Chrysanthemon, stop him," Rori said, looking up at her fairy-like Digimon.

"Tyler, I'll take care of this, don't worry." Idolonmon flew at Vikaralamon at the same time as Chrysanthemon and the two latched onto a tusk each, trying to push against it.

"He's still coming," Rori whispered. With Chrysanthemon still recovering, Rori quickly began to worry whether this was wise.

"Retreat!" Tyler ordered. "We need to give it everything we've got; an Ultimate's power is greater than any of us individually, but perhaps not cumulatively. Idolonmon, use Killer Instinct!"

Alex nodded, seeming to understand. "Kotturmon, Flame Cannon!"

"Gaiamon, yo, Drill Bore that mess in need of a haircut!"

Len looked at Zalyea, his face a picture of uncertainty. "Iceangemon, Hand of Emotion!"

Corinne closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Shine bright, Lummosmon!"

Rori had no idea what Chrysanthemon could do yet. She just had to hope her partner would be okay.

Chrysanthemon's turbine began to spin as the other Digimon unleashed their attacks.

Idolonmon held out his pitchfork and unleashed red lasers in unison with the beam of light from Lummosmon's staff and Kotturmon's tornado of fire.

Iceangemon punched the air, a ray of blue energy flying over the ghostly yellow clones of Gaiamon's drill.

Chrysanthemon held out her arms. "Incapacitator!" A multitude of multi-coloured fluorescent laser beams poured out of her body, combining with the other attacks en route to Vikaralamon.

The attacks crashed into Vikaralamon and an explosion occurred instantly. The force of the explosion tossed everyone backwards several feet and left a nasty smell hanging in the air. It smelt similar to a hairdryer than had been left on for too long.

Rori's ears rang as a blanket of dust obscured her vision. Feeling the hard ground pushing against her back, she had to hope it worked, she had never seen an attack like that before.

She heard a voice from somewhere in the fog.

"Everyone alright?" It sounded like Tyler.

Corrine spoke next. "I'm fine; I would just prefer if Vikaralamon has calmed down now."

"Calmed down? I hope it's went boom!" Zalyea laughed.

Rori got up and placed her fingers on the ground, closing her eyes. A short way ahead she felt a shudder and it didn't feel like a building collapsing. "We're not safe! Chrysanthemon!"

"Leaf Dance!"

The smoke abruptly cleared as a wall of leaves formed in front of all of them.

"Boar Bog!" Vikaralamon's guttural tones boomed. A stream of black goo surged from its mouth, colliding with the leaves and dragging them into its sticky embrace. It continued to travel towards them and that's when Chrysanthemon wrapped herself around Rori, protecting her.

Rori opened her eyes slowly to see Chrysanthemon covered in a hard black substance and unable to move. Vikaralamon was stamping its foot now and she knew she had to do something before it charged again. Checking the ammunition in her Taser gun, she clambered out of Chrysanthemon's grip and sprinted across the uneven black ground.

"You crazier than bubble-gum head!" Zalyea yelled, while tugging at Gaiamon's feet.

"I'll do anything for my friend!" Rori started to shoot but Vikaralamon didn't seem to notice. Her shots weren't perfectly aimed, but that was to be expected being that she wasn't trained in gunmanship yet.

"Fusion Ball!" The gruff roar of the boar Digimon filled the sky and then it charged.

Suddenly, she flew to the ground, feeling arms wrap around her tightly. "Get off!" She turned, expecting to have to fight but was surprised to see Alex.

Winking, he whispered, "Don't move." What on earth was he going to do?

"Darkness!" Gaiamon?

"Frozen Throne." That was definitely Iceangemon.

Her vision became entirely black, so much so that she couldn't see directly in front of her face. A loud smash to the right signalled the end of the darkness as it began to let up like a morning mist. From Iceangemon to Vikaralamon, the ground had turned to ice and Vikaralamon was now embedded into a small block of flats. Bathtubs and various other household furniture fell onto the Digimon as the rubble settled.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she brushed Alex off and stood back up as Gaiamon stamped her foot.

"Drill Bore!" The drill on Gaiamon's back began to spin around and the remaining black goo cracked and flew off. The frog Digimon turned vertical and burrowed into the ground, disappearing from view for a few seconds before emerging again closer to Vikaralamon. She was now clear of the black gunk and looked back at Zalyea. "Yo, let me deal with him, I'll make that furry face go bang."

"Be careful!" Zalyea seemed to be quietly confident of her partner's abilities and ran over to help Tyler pull Idolonmon free.

Alex grabbed hold of Rori's hand, dragging her away as Gaiamon smashed her feet into the pavement, embedding herself into the landscape. Vikaralamon was struggling to right itself but was luckily having a difficult time.

Alex and Rori ran over to their respective partner's, tugging at the black goo, hoping to free them.

"Leave me, help the others." Idolonmon?

Rori looked over to see Idolonmon mostly free of the gunk, now standing up and cracking his neck.

He planted his staff in the ground as Zalyea and Tyler ran to help the others. "Ritual of the Dead," he whispered. A red glowing pentagon formed around the base of his staff and as Idolonmon sat down, red vapours began to rise up from the ground all around him.

~.~.~

"There it is." Aleena stopped, looking down to Talmon as they spotted the huge black bird. It was much bigger than a Lithemon tended to grow. The huge bird almost blocked out the sun as it cawed furiously and flew at them.

"Aleena, move!" Lobo yelled, standing in front of her as it unleashed Dark Screamer and a red laser rippled out from its mouth.

Aleena covered her ears and ran as the sound waves—the most dangerous part of the attack—were emitted.

When Aleena looked back she saw Lobo holding up his sword, frozen in time due to the paralysis effect of the sound.

"Aleena, Lithemon," Talmon said, pointing with his ear at the wounded beast. That man had deflected the attack back at it by placing his blade perfectly before being paralysed. Rori was right; he was something. A stupid something. That gash on his leg didn't look pretty.

She was going to have to do something but back there, she could hear a scream. Was it Rori? Did she care about the perky little freak? No, it was probably just concern that they would become surrounded.

"Aleena!" Talmon pushed her out of the way of a swooping Lithemon.

Aleena began to shake as she saw Reuben crushed against the tree. This couldn't be happening. Trying to control her breathing, she found that she couldn't move—she couldn't speak. She couldn't even watch as she heard the crunch of Nyx's bones.

With a blink, it was gone and she found herself sweating and clutching the hard black tarmac of the road, its surface stretching out in her view.

Lobo was looking up now, clearly able to move again. "You okay, Aleena?" His tone was always so matter-of-fact and uncaring but this time she thought she saw his brow furrow, just a little. It was likely just him trying to find the Digimon though. "It's too cold to lie on the ground."

"Aleena, you have to get up and fight," Talmon insisted, pulling at her.

Aleena nodded, but when she tried to move her limbs they wouldn't respond. She couldn't move. Panic began to set in. Had she fallen and caused damage? It was a strong possibility. "I can't move…" she whispered, the tarmac pressing into her face intrusively. "Tal, help."

Talmon looked at her and his eyes became so shaky and his lip even trembled. She didn't need him to be sappy. He had to help her walk. "Can you feel this?" he asked.

Aleena waited for a sensation but there was nothing. So she really had paralysed herself with the fall. Suddenly, she felt a dull prod in her calf. "I— I feel it." What the hell was wrong with her?

Tal breathed a sigh of relief. "I was beginning to worry." He came around to her face again and held out a paw. "So, come on!" He looked up as a loud screech filled the air and Aleena knew it was charging again.

She had to move.

"Dammit." Tal looked around as the beast approached.

Aleena could tell he was debating carrying her but he wasn't sure if he could keep her safe that way. There was no other way. Something was stopping her from moving anything except her mouth and it was terrifying.

An excruciating and abrupt pain in her leg made it jolt.

"Needle Night!" This was a deadly skill when on target and that beast was so close she could hear its wings.

With the pain in her leg radiating up and down, she leapt to her feet, diving away as the rain of huge black feathers poured out from behind. As she rolled on the pavement to assess the damage, she saw Lobo pulling his sword from the cracked ground, which was covered in slowly fading feathers. In the middle of the road was a Lithemon split in half and quickly turning to data.

She breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at her leg and Talmon. He held out her penknife, now bloodied with a grimace. "I'm so sorry, Aleena, I had to do something."

Aleena took the penknife and grasped it tightly. She wasn't one to display affection but this was a special occasion. Wrapping her arms tightly around Talmon, she hugged him, lifting him off the ground in the process. "Thank you."

"Put me down, I'm not a real rabbit!" Talmon mumbled as he was pressed into her chest.

Aleena remembered herself and set him down. Grabbing the bottom of her t-shirt, she tore off a strip of fabric and tied it around the wound tightly. Tyler would forgive her for wrecking his t-shirt. And if he didn't, she didn't care.

"That won't be sufficient." Lobo walked over, sheathing his blade.

"It will have to do," she retorted, locking eyes with the older man.

Lobo reached out to touch her shoulder. "Look, I'm just trying to—"

Aleena grabbed his wrist, squeezing the muscular appendage. "Well, don't. I haven't needed anyone to care for me before now and I still don't. Stop acting like a stupid old man and go kill the idiot who's set these Digimon free." She let go of the arm and he allowed it to fall back without retaliating.

"I'll go do that. Make sure to—"

"Clean the wound properly? I know. I'll do it later."

Lobo nodded and walked away, leaving her alone with Talmon.

~.~.~

"Bit rude," Tal said, smirking slightly.

Aleena scowled. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying. I've seen less drama in a soppy movie." Talmon rolled his eyes as Aleena walked off back towards where they'd left the others. "Do you like endangering yourself?" She didn't stop. Calling louder, he said, "I just stabbed you, do we not want to take a rest?" Sighing, he followed after her. He might as well be there when something hits her so he can help her back up.

~.~.~

Tyler watched his partner as five skeletal ogres grew up out of the ground, grabbing clubs made of bone before they ran off towards Vikaralamon. He had to come up with a plan to defeat that thing. Everyone was counting on him. It wasn't a normal Digimon. He surmised this due to the strange 'In' before its name. In could stand for any number of things but if it had been infected with a virus, it would explain why it was more violent and resilient to attacks. It was an ultimate Digimon but, including Rori, they had six Champion Digimon. Whether it had its abilities heightened or not, they should have been able to defeat it by now.

"Tyler, hold on!" Zalyea grabbed hold of his hand and pulled it onto the nearby metal railing that ran the length of the pavement.

"Earthquake!" Gaiamon smacked her webbed foot onto the ground and it began to shake violently.

Vikaralamon's Boar Bog turned hard very quickly and was produced from its mouth… That was it. "Everyone, get your Digimon free, I have an idea!"

With a nod, Corinne tugged hard at the last lump of black tar, strain covering her face as she tried to pull it free.

Alex came up next to her, slipping a hand over hers. Tugging hard, they pulled it free together and fell back onto the ground together laughing.

Tyler felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched them, cursing himself for it.

Kotturmon walked over slowly. She lifted one of her front paws and inspected the huge claws as she reached Tyler. "Your plan is to watch your friends?"

Tyler blushed a little but tried to hide it. "No." Gathering himself, he looked to the others as they finished freeing their Digimon. "I need everyone except Iceangemon to pin Vikaralamon down on its back. Idolonmon will use Ritual of the Dead; Gaiamon, Kotturmon, Lummosmon and Chrysanthemon, I want you to grab on and hold it down." He turned to Len and Iceangemon. "I want you to attack it so it has to use Boar Bog."

"Yo, we just got free of that, Ty!" Zalyea interjected.

Tyler ignored her. "When it uses Boar Bog, I want you to ram your staff into the open mouth and use Frozen Throne."

Len looked up at his partner then back at Tyler. "This seems really dangerous, Ty. Are you sure it will work?"

Corinne sighed, walking over. "It's the best we've got, Len." Turning to Lummosmon, she prodded her partner, who was staring up at the sun. "Go hold Vikaralamon down."

Lummosmon smiled. "Okay!"

Kotturmon leapt across the battlefield, landing on top of Vikaralamon, and bit down into the soft flesh of one of its legs, digging her claws into the rubble to hold it steady.

Gaiamon bounded through the air, having stopped attacking, and landed on the foreleg on the opposite side. She pushed her drill straight through, with much difficulty, and dug it into the ground on the other side while grabbing on with her feet.

By now, Vikaralamon was roaring in anguish and wriggling about as the skeletal ogres grabbed onto the back legs, with Lummosmon and Chrysanthemon grabbing on to one each with them.

Iceangemon hovered overhead and then looked over at Len and Tyler.

After receiving no further instructions, Iceangemon flew closer and began to punch at the air. Blue beams of energy flew out, crashing into the belly of the beast.

Vikaralamon struggled to free itself, wriggling about and nearly tossing Kotturmon through the air.  
"Hold on!" Alex yelled, concerned for his partner. There was no time for concern. This had to work first time.

"What do you think I'm doing, brat!" Kotturmon snapped as she dug her claws and teeth deeper.

"Boar Bog!"

"Now!" Tyler shouted, clenching his fists as he worried about whether the plan would work or not.

Iceangemon flew in without a second thought, fear playing no part in his decision making. He had always been foolhardy, but that's why this might just work. "Frozen Throne!" He tossed the icicle he used as a staff into the mouth of Vikaralamon and there was a moment of silence. There was gurgling, presumably the black liquid surging up its throat and then the goo flew out. It hadn't worked.

Abruptly, the goo began to crystalize. It was like a fountain caught suddenly in sub-zero temperatures. The liquid turned to a solid from the top down, the ice chasing down into the throat as more goo tried to spill out until it was all solid and the mouth of Vikaralamon was blocked.

Tyler knew it still wasn't over as Vikaralamon thrashed about more violently than ever, dislodging Lummosmon briefly. "Don't stop!"

Then there was nothing. Not a single movement from the beast. Everyone looked around, mostly at Tyler and he felt nervous. "Everyone get out of there!" he yelled. If it hadn't worked, then Vikaralamon was going to respond soon. He couldn't risk all of their friends' lives.

Smash. Tyler froze as he tried to discern what had occurred.

Iceangemon, Lummosmon, Idolonmon and Chrysanthemon were hovering in the air above their opponent while Gaiamon and Felismon stood watching from the ground.

Huge spikes of ice had pierced its body from the inside, splitting it open. Data trickled out, swirling around in the sky, as it slowly died.

Iceangemon flew down and tugged his staff free, flying back over to Len as orbs of data flew off him. The other Digimon began to turn back too. They were all exhausted.

"You won?"

Tyler turned around to see Aleena. "The Resistance is an exemplary organisation, after all." He hoped she wouldn't see through the thinly veiled confidence. They had barely scraped by.

"We don't need your help, bubble-gum head." Zalyea walked over, carrying Gaimon in her arms.

Aleena looked around at them all. "Lobo is taking care of that guy now." Behind them came a thunderous explosion.

Tyler turned to see a plume of smoke rising from the direction Lobo had been heading in. "Are you sure that he's not being taken care of?"

* * *

 **What is this In thing & does it have anything to do with RODAF's experiments? How snarky can Kotturmon get? What's happening with Raposo and Lobo? Keep reading and find out!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Fight or Flight

Corinne felt her heart beating against her chest as they finally stopped running. None of them had realised just how far away that explosion had been. Ahead of them was Lobo and another man dressed in similar clothing. They were facing off against each other in the high-street of Sabhailte. Well, it was hardly still the high-street. Craters littered the ground and buildings were missing chunks or missing entirely. Many of the statues and other decorations in this central plaza were damaged or destroyed. It had only taken them a few minutes to get here.

Right now, watching Lobo as he ran at the other man, she felt fear. None of their partners except Talmon had been able to stay out any longer and that left all of them defenceless. There was no way, even with their Digimon, they could fight on this calibre.

Lobo leapt back, landing just in front of them as his opponent also leapt further away. They seemed to be calculating each other's next move. "Aleena, put Talmon away."

Aleena scowled. "Make me."

"I'm going to show you something that will be too draining for your partner to withstand. Put him away for his, and your, own good."

Aleena stepped towards him and they locked eyes.

Corinne had never seen a clash of wills like this.

However, Aleena gave up quickly and Talmon was sucked inside her Digivice. "Fine."

"What now?" Corinne asked, looking down at her Digivice and seeing Lummon sleeping peacefully.

"One minute." Lobo leapt through the air like he had a jetpack attached or something and clashed swords with the blue haired man opposite. Their swords and bodies seemed to be almost fluid in the way they moved until Lobo booted the blue haired man and he flew through a tree.

Lobo leapt back, stopping in front of them, his breathing a little more rapid than usual. "A Digidestined is able to active powers beyond human abilities—"

"Cool, how?" Alex asked, inspecting his Digivice. Alex had no brain to mouth filter. "Do we press this?" He tapped one of the three side buttons and his Digivice transformed into a phone. Along with Digivolution and Release, there was a button to disguise the Digivice should problems arise. Although they all already knew this and Alex had clearly forgotten in his childish excitement. "Wait, that's not it." Alex pouted tapping the call button to transform it back into a Digivice. "What about—?"

"Alex," Tyler chided tiredly, grabbing his wrist before Alex could press anything else.

Corinne was just glad that Tyler had told him off or she would have had to hit him again and she was worried he was beginning to like it.

"The First Vector is able to enhance a physical attribute. To activate it, you must simply click your fingers and believe in the bond you and your partner share. The pendants I gave you will take care of the rest."

Alex placed his fingers together as Lobo sprinted forwards. "Now?"

"No, it will hurt you and your partner. Only when it is required should you use it!"

"So… now?" Alex moved to snap his fingers.

Zalyea dived onto him, pinning him down. "Do you ever listen, fool?"

~.~.~

Lobo ran at the familiar man. Raposo Vermelho wore similar clothing to him, but this was to be expected since they had a shared upbringing.

Raposo swung, his long dark blue blade flying in from the right.

Lobo brought his blade to meet it and felt the resistance of Raposo's Chrome Digizoid against his own but continued to push. The Chrome Digizoid was usually able to cut through anything, including other blades, but with Raposo they were evenly matched. Although both their blades had nicks and chips from overuse.

"You really think you'll win _this_ time?"

Lobo grimaced, forcing more of his weight down on the blade with a grunt and sending Raposo on the retreat. "I'll give it a crack."

The long straight blue hair of his opponent gave him a distinctly feminine appearance, one that had often made Lobo take him lightly. However, he learned his lesson the last time. This time, he would win. He had to. With those children behind him, it was going to be a difficult battle. He would have to go on the offensive now.

Lobo snapped his fingers, causing a spark of blue electricity to spread quickly across his body before disappearing. His body was feeling weaker each time he used the Vectors. There wasn't much time left.

Raposo mimicked him, creating a spark of crimson red electricity instead.

"Raposo, are you ready?"

Raposo sprinted forwards, much faster than before. In an instant, his blade was in front of Lobo.

Raising his broadsword, his own speed heightened, Lobo parried the attack. He swung horizontally, going in for the kill while Raposo was recovering. However, he was a fragment of a second too slow.

Raposo's blade moved down to his side, blocking it.

Lobo looked into the eyes, as black as coal, of his opponent. Gritting his teeth, he leapt back and tore off his trench coat.

"The big guns, already? I'm honoured." Raposo's taunting words had to be ignored or it would all be over.

He snapped his fingers again, allowing the energy to cover him once more. Pain irradiated from his shoulder blades briefly before familiar angelic white wings burst out. He flew towards Raposo, using the increased speed of flight, maybe this would be enough.

Raposo ducked at the last possible second and Lobo found himself flying uncontrollably into a building.

This heavily built up area was beginning to become an annoyance. Not to mention, he had underestimated the power of the Second Vector in a contained space like this. As he clambered out of the rubble, he saw Raposo's own black wings forming before they turned to a blur and Raposo was in front of him.

The hard bottom of Raposo's boot struck Lobo in the face with enough force to throw him through to the other side of the building.

Lobo looked around. This area was slightly less built up. Just a few fountains. He had to use this to his advantage. Getting up, he leapt back to narrowly avoid the downward slash from Raposo.

"I love a good hunt before I kill my prey." Spinning his sword round, he smirked. "Run, Lobo, run," he cackled, it was almost bone chilling how far his brother had fallen from the right path.

Lobo flew off, allowing Raposo to follow him. As he heard the beating of those black wings practically on top of him, he tucked in his wings and lay flat to the ground. Just ahead was the fountain.

Or at least, it had been before Raposo just crashed through it.

"I never run. You're just too stupid to see that."

He flew straight up as he heard Raposo's roar of fury. The blue haired idiot would be right behind him. Sliding his sword away as he continued his ascent, he withdrew his dual revolvers. Pulling the triggers repeatedly, he unleashed concentrated blasts of digital energy. "He truly outdid himself with these," Lobo muttered.

Raposo weaved in and out of the attacks, gathering speed as he did so.

Lobo cursed and holstered the guns, to withdraw his broadsword in just enough time to avoid a stab from Raposo. He slashed at the wrist of Raposo but his opponent had no issue dodging. Tucking in his wings, he allowed himself to free fall down, leaving Raposo to chase.

At least, that's what he had hoped Raposo would do. Sadly, he could never predict the moves of his long-time friend.

He looked up to see Raposo activating his Third Vector. Dark red balls of energy appeared in the man's hands and he began to hurl them, regenerating the laser dodge balls instantly each time.

Lobo didn't have time to look back, closing his eyes, he used his hearing to detect if it was near him or not and moved accordingly. This was difficult but one wrong move and it was over. The ground. It was near. His eyes snapped open and he rolled along the ground, using his wings to reduce the impact. Above, the balls had stopped but the onslaught hadn't. A large square of red energy flew downwards, preventing him from seeing Raposo's moves and acting as an attack. He had to get away.

He sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him, hoping to get a vantage point. As he reached the edge of the square looming above, he felt the cut on his leg from earlier and stopped. It hadn't healed yet, of course.

Raposo was in front of him. When had this happened? The sound of steel cutting through air alerted him that Raposo's sword was heading for his neck before he even had chance to look.

Lobo dived across the floor, feeling the metal graze his shoulder as the red energy square blew a hole in the ground behind him.

Pulling out his revolvers, he fired off several shots but Raposo deflected them with ease, making a slow advance.

"You look so pitiful." His blade became consumed by red energy. "I'll make this quick."

Lobo didn't have chance to escape as Raposo dug his blade into the ground and then swiped it up quickly. An explosion beneath Lobo's feet sent him flying into the sky. He tried to right himself but he was quickly thrown into a building. This wasn't going well.

~.~.~

"He's losing!" Alex yelled.

Zalyea shook her head. "Have faith, yo. That's only the second building he's been thrown through. He got two or three left yet."

Aleena rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

Zalyea turned to face Aleena. "Say that to my face."

Tyler stepped between them. He was going to have to sit these two down at some point. "Both of you, calm down."

"Ty, don't stop the cat fight!" Alex protested, pouting. He could be such a child.

A swift slap from Corinne silenced him.

Rori interrupted them, "Look."

~.~.~

Lobo burst out of the building and began to fly alongside of it, firing off several blasts of energy from his revolvers.

It was no use, he saw Raposo's blade was still red; the balls were smashed aside with ease.

He had to come up with something and fast. There had to be a way to stop Raposo without killing him.

Raposo was flying towards him before he had chance to think of anything.

Lobo swung his own blade down, pushing down against the crimson longsword but he felt the immense pressure it was exerting. Even with gravity on his side, Lobo could feel himself losing this contest of strength.

He loosened his grip, allowing his sword to fly away towards the ground, and then flew under the crimson blade and grabbed onto Raposo's neck. Pushing down, he flew towards the ground and then thrust hard as they neared the white paved ground. Raposo's body flew at the tarmac with such velocity that it only seemed to take a second for him to cause an impact so loud it shattered the nearby shop windows.

His gun-blade in hand, Lobo landed next to the newly formed crater. "Well? You're giving up?"

Raposo flipped out of the crater, swinging his long sword. "It was a nice shot." He coughed, and winced.

Lobo smirked, spinning his gun-blade in his hand. "Thanks."

"It'll be your last." Raposo flew at him, the blade glowing brighter than before.

Lobo blocked the first strike but the force of each attack was making it difficult not to lose his remaining sword, never mind perform a counterattack. He pushed back against an abrupt overhead swing until he was on his knees. The red haired man cursed, dropping the gun-blade and then slipped out from underneath Raposo as the latter stumbled. Bringing his fist down onto Raposo's head, he forced the blue haired villain's face into the ground.

Lobo retreated quickly, his gun-blade now back in his possession, and tried to look for his broadsword.

From behind, he could hear Raposo grumbling. "I'm going to enjoy beheading you!"

Lobo laughed and pointed his gun-blade, firing off a few bullets. "If you ever land a hit, that is." He had to hope this would throw his opponent off.

Unfortunately, all it seemed to do was increase the power of his opponent. Raposo flew at him, roaring in fury and swinging his sword from the right.

Lobo blocked the attack but suddenly the blade was round to his other side. He just barely had time to block that one too before the sword was swinging down from above. Moving his head back, he managed to escape with just a graze on his cheek, but his injured leg didn't respond in time and he felt the steel create another gash. As Lobo tried to ignore the pain, Raposo's sword flew horizontally and Lobo felt it tear through the skin of his chest.

Lobo, without any other choice, flew up and began to fire again with the gun-blade. In the light of the sun, he spotted his other sword but he didn't even have time to contemplate retrieving it before Raposo was in front of him again.

The blue haired man unleashed a vicious combo of slashes and thrusts until he disarmed Lobo. He felt the leather of Raposo's boot in his face again and he flew backwards into an office building.

Without either of his blades and in this condition; this battle was over.

~.~.~

Corinne began to become worried. "Is he coming back out this time?" It didn't appear that the blue haired man, Raposo, was chasing Lobo. If he came after them then it would be over.

"I hope so…" Rori whispered.

Tyler caught her eye and his face betrayed his lack of confidence. "Corinne…"

She looked back at him and wanted to run there and then.

"Yo, look!" Zalyea said, pointing up.

Lobo appeared in the hole of the building. They could just about see him as he flashed blue again.

"I told you he had a couple more building smashes left, don't doubt me." Zalyea thumped Tyler on the arm.

"Okay, I apologise." Tyler rubbed his arm, trying not to curse.

Corinne gripped her Digivice tightly. Maybe they would be okay.

~.~.~

Lobo looked down at the ground. It had come to this. "It's over, Raposo."

A red beam of energy was the only reply.

Lobo held up his hand and created a shield of blue shimmering energy to deflect the attack as if it were a mirror. It worked exactly as planned and the laser tore through Raposo's shoulder and then proceeded to cut a hole through a grocery store.

Raposo roared in anger and flew at him.

Lobo had lost his patience. Pushing hard with an open palm, he created a wall of blue energy which slowly advanced outwards while continuing to grow.

Raposo tried to fly through it but it continued to push him back and wrap around him as Lobo floated down to the ground to retrieve his broadsword.

As he spotted the blade, he heard an air-splitting roar and looked up to see the blue wall shatter like glass. Lobo flew quickly at the blade, knowing Raposo was coming. It was embedded in the fountain. It wouldn't be too easy to pull out. As he reached it, he pulled with all his might and spun, slashing behind him to block the attack. However, he hadn't put enough strength behind the swing and he was immediately thrown through the fountain until he skidded to a halt on the other side.

Running the power of his Third Vector—energy manipulation—down his sword, he flew forwards in sync with Raposo. Their brightly coloured blades were now even and when they clashed, waves of energy were thrown out, destroying the area around them. It would come down to one decisive blow. He couldn't let his concentration lapse. He spotted an opening and went for it immediately. Covering his hand in blue energy, he punched the flat of Raposo's sword and swung his own blade across Raposo's abdomen and then back across his thighs. Now the neck.

A loud scream created a red wave which sent him flying backwards.

In the air, he felt his consciousness wane and then it was gone.

~.~.~

Lobo's limp body skidded to a halt in front of them. Aleena knew it. He was as useless as everyone else.

Rori knelt down by his side and urged, "Wake up." She began to shake him. "Please, wake up." It was pointless but still, the annoying tree hugger didn't give up. "You're the only one of us that can stop him. Come on!"

Raposo looked over. "You're Digidestined?" He flicked the blood off his blade. "I'll kill you all before I take his head. Hopefully you'll be a better fight than he was." He charged, the red energy fading from his blade, and began to laugh. "He can't help you now!"

Aleena placed her fingers together. If it helped him then maybe, just maybe. "He doesn't need to. I help myself!" She snapped them as he reached her and a warm feeling covered her body and the pendant around her neck floated up, flapping about in front of her. A cloak of pale blue energy shrouded around her, but just for a second. The pendant tapped against her chest, still.

Swinging her fist like she always did, she smashed it into his blade. Surprisingly, it packed a lot more punch than normal and she shattered the blue blade in two at its weakest point, continuing her swing into his face.

He staggered backwards, frozen in shock.

Aleena pumped her fist into the air. "It's our turn now!"

* * *

 **Aleena's that strong now!? What'll happen to them without Lobo? What's Raposo's reason for hating Digidestined? ZalyeaxAlex :O Scandalous!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **Check out the site (link in my profile) for bonus information and updates on the story!**


	21. Chapter Twenty: Get Out Alive

Corinne froze. Did this mean? There was no way. She felt her throat tighten and her legs become weak. Glancing down at her Digivice, she hoped that Lummon would be okay to fight but the little Digimon was fast asleep. In her peripheral vision, she saw flashes of colour.

 _Badum_

 _Badum_

Her heart wouldn't stop thudding against her ribcage.

Akin to how Aleena had been covered in a weird energy coat, Rori was now covered in a green one.

And then Alex was covered in a red one.

Corinne looked down at her own hands, placing her fingers together. She couldn't.

A hand touched her shoulder. It was Tyler. He smiled and she felt some modicum of relief.

She turned to look at him, feeling helpless and useless at the same time.

"Corinne, it's fine; just wait back here." He snapped his fingers and a purple cloak covered him. "Len, Zalyea!" he turned to them. "Let's go, team!"

Len was covered in a dark blue cloak and Zalyea in a black one.

"You think a flashy light show and breaking this flimsy sword is going to change anything?" Raposo chuckled, holstering the remnants of the blade, and then his face became stony. "You're wrong."

"Prove it." Aleena met his gaze and cracked her knuckles.

Raposo moved towards her but as he did, Rori also leapt forwards. In barely a second, the two were in front of Aleena but Raposo won the contest of strength and knocked her, and Aleena, onto their backs.

Len dropped to the floor, gripping his ears. "It hurts!" he yelled.

"Tyler, what's going on? My eyes are weird!" Zalyea looked at Raposo as he charged. "Ty!" In that instant, both Zalyea and Len were thrown across the ground.

Corinne dashed over to Len, grabbing his head and looking over to Tyler and Raposo. "Run, Ty!"

Len screamed, gripping his head again.

Just what had that light done to them? It made her all the more fearful of what it could do to her if she clicked her fingers. She pulled Len close, rubbing his head affectionately as he cried in her arms. Whatever would happen, it wasn't worth it. They had to get out of here.

"I can't think, there's not enough time," Tyler gripped his head as Raposo idly walked towards him. "The billionth prime number is 22563323963. The answer to the 7th millennium maths problem is—!"

"I'll kill you quickly, I hate smart people." Raposo swung his fist almost lackadaisically.

"Don't!" Alex stood in front of Tyler, covering his face with his arms. The force of the attack tossed them both back and then it was clear they really had lost.

Then he turned to her. "What's the matter, blondie? You're not brave enough to fight?" Raposo withdrew his sword. "I've changed my mind, you'll die first."

Corinne couldn't move—she couldn't even breathe as he and that broken sword got closer. Despite the fact it was broken, she was sure the sword would have no problem dismembering her. She looked down at Len, who was still quivering in her arms, and then back at the advancing danger. "I'm brave enough not to fight!" she blurted, hoping against hope that it would stop him.

It did. He seemed to be confused from his facial expression.

She had read about questioning murderers and trying to make yourself seem more human. Maybe this would work. "I lost my first tooth when I was ten. I'm a 7th Dan Black belt in Karate. My favourite food is escargot!"

He cocked his head. "What a coincidence. My favourite thing to do is kill Digidestined."

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just stop?"

Raposo laughed. "I have to get stronger and the only way to do that is to fight strong people. Those who aren't strong, die. This is how the world works, little girl."

Corinne shook her head as the metal blade was lifted up to her throat. "That isn't the only way to be strong!" She gripped Len tightly as he wailed in her arms. "Your friends make you stronger. Love makes you stronger!" She looked over at Alex, Tyler and then at the others. "Lobo was your friend, why do you have to fight?"

Raposo began to roar with laughter, his blade dancing near her neck as he lost himself in his laughter. The metal stopped dead and Raposo looked at her. "Don't be so silly, he wasn't my friend." He looked over at Lobo's fallen body. "He is nothing more than a sparring partner who has outlived his use."

"A bit like you!" Aleena brought a huge slab of pavement down on Raposo's head as Rori appeared at his side to deliver a quick combo of kicks to his right leg followed by a roundhouse to the back of his head. Raposo fell onto his knees and Aleena punched him in the cheek, causing his head to spin, before he could recover. "Don't give up!" Aleena yelled.

Raposo swung his arm out, crashing it into Aleena's side and sending her flying across the light grey high street. He grabbed onto Rori's ankle and tossed her so high in the air that Corinne wasn't sure if she was going to survive, and then he charged after Aleena.

Corinne rested Len's head down, he had now passed out, and ran over to Rori's falling body. Holding her arms out while looking up, she just barely managed to catch the ginger girl as Aleena was thrown into a stone lamppost.

"Aleena!" Rori yelled, leaping out of Corinne's arms and sprinting across the vast gap between the two in seconds. Was she always that fast?

Raposo withdrew his sword, swinging it in Rori's path, but the latter slid on her knees underneath the slash and grabbed Aleena from the floor. "Are you okay?"

Aleena coughed. "Get off me, you idiot, he's behind you."

Rori turned just in time to see him grab her arm and begin to spin her around himself.

Corinne felt ill just watching the revolutions.

Abruptly, he let go and Rori was launched at an office building, causing the glass to crack.

Aleena got to her feet and swung her fist but Raposo moved under it and threw her over his shoulders and into the ground.

He immediately picked her up and tossed her at Rori.

Aleena crashed into the other girl with a thump, shattering the remaining glass, and then they both lay lifeless and bloody against the wall of the building.

Zalyea, Tyler and Alex were together, stood a little away from Raposo.

"Run!" Corinne yelled as she saw Raposo turn to look at them. It was too late.

"There's no conceivable way that we can win." Tyler had given up.

Raposo punched Alex hard, catapulting him through the doors of a hotel.

"Wait, maybe we can—!" Tyler yelled but a fist threw him after his friend before he finished.

Zalyea ran, but there was no escape as Raposo grabbed her arm and repeated what he had done to Rori earlier, hurling Zalyea after her male friends.

Corinne looked down at her Digivice, hoping—praying—that Lummon would be awake. She wasn't. There was no way that she could fight, let alone win.

Raposo sprinted at her.

She only had a second of life left.

Snap.

Corinne felt a strange, yet comforting feeling overcome her body. In her mind was one word: survive.

Raposo's fist flew straight at her and she was sure it would hurt but it didn't.

Before she could realise what had happened, he threw another punch and she felt her body move to avoid instinctively. What was happening?

Raposo's confident look slipped and he grimaced as he began to unload a flurry of attacks. All of them were missing. He would slash with his sword and only cut the air; he would punch and miss no matter if it was too fast for her eyes to follow.

However, her muscles were screaming as they were forced to constantly jerk about to avoid the damage he was attempting to inflict. Corinne wasn't sure just how much longer she could cope and she had only just begun.

~.~.~

Aleena's vision was hazy, but through it she caught a glimpse of a flash of yellow.

Corinne was dodging Raposo's attacks. Impressive.

Glancing over her shoulder at the office block, she winced as she felt pain all over. There was a large throbbing in the hand she had used to punch Raposo's sword and she had a feeling it was broken. It didn't help that it was the same hand she had injured before. Looking again, through the shattered windows, she saw an office desk on the other side. It was littered with various items but she had one in particular in mind.

Reaching onto the desk behind her, she grabbed a red plastic handle. Aleena got to her feet and pulled the letter opener off the desk and slowly walked towards Raposo while she regained her sense of balance. His focus on Corinne was going to work in her favour.

Aleena burst into a run as Raposo got angrier that he couldn't land a blow and then Corinne looked over at her. That idiot, she was going to wreck the plan!

The hilt of Raposo's sword struck Corinne in the nose, busting it open and knocking her onto the floor.

Raposo lifted his sword above Corinne. "You were a worthy opponent after all. I'll kill you quickly as a reward."

"That's my line." Aleena leapt onto Raposo's back and thrust the letter opener into his neck. She managed to punch him twice in the head before he threw her off and leapt away. Unluckily, she'd missed a crucial artery.

"Good work," Aleena groaned as she looked at Corinne's bloody face.

"Aleena, I don't think it's over." Corinne sounded funny with a busted nose, very nasally and then her eyes closed and Aleena presumed that the blonde had passed out.

Aleena rolled over, looking at Raposo as he pulled out the letter opener and tied a chunk of fabric from his sleeve around his neck to prevent it bleeding too heavily. It didn't even seem to be slowing him down.

"You'll regret that!" Raposo roared.

"I doubt it!" Aleena stood up, just barely managing to stay on her feet, and balled up her fists.

"I've had enough playing around." Raposo held out his palm and a spinning red energy ball appeared on it. He started to run with the ball and he was far too fast for Aleena to stop.

She held up her arms, hoping that she'd be able to withstand the blow if she didn't manage to stop him before. Although if it was more of a laser and less of the explosion ones he had done, then she was done for no matter what.

He was to her right abruptly and the crimson orb was flying at her.

She swung her fist but the ball of energy crashed into her gut before she could connect.

Instantly winded, she was propelled into the air and unable to defend herself as he flew up at her. The orb exploded before he reached her and she felt her whole body shattered as she was launched further into the sky. Screaming in pain, she couldn't even watch as she felt something—presumably Raposo—strike her in the back.

She hit the ground with a colossal thud and wasn't even sure it was possible to feel the amount of pain she was in. Closing her eyes, she tried to assess the damage. Her fist, if it wasn't before, was definitely broken now. The rest of it was mostly bruising and cuts she presumed. Maybe a broken rib. He was clearly toying with her; he hadn't used that energy to cut like with Lobo.

Warm blood was trickling down most of her body as the flapping of wings filled her sore ears. It was a muffled sound but she knew he was right next to her. As she rolled over, she saw him point two fingers at her—as if to make a gun—and a pea-sized ball of red energy formed on his fingertips. This would definitely kill her.

"This was boring."

She couldn't get up yet, she needed to rest but as he lifted his fingers the ball left and flew at her.

A weird translucent blue sheet appeared, blocking the attack and sending it back into Raposo's uninjured shoulder. "Pick on someone your own size." Lobo was behind Raposo and he swung his broadsword.

Raposo retreated, leaping further away to gather himself as the blue shield faded from around Aleena. "So this is what it took to get you back up?" Raposo laughed and began to fire balls of red energy.

Lobo held up his palm to create a large blue dome around him and Aleena. "Aleena, get your friends to safety and then rest." He held out his free hand to her and she gratefully took it to stand up.

She groaned, staggering about. Her body felt so frail and weak. This was such an awful feeling. Needing help from others wasn't her thing; she was independent. Cracks formed in the shield but at that moment she noticed Raposo had disappeared.

Raposo came down from above, shattering the shield with a sword made from red energy.

Lobo blocked the subsequent attack with his own sword. "Aleena, run!"

Aleena rushed over to Corinne and Len. Grabbing them both by the scruff of their shirt, she dragged them across the ground with her muscles and bones screaming all the while. Len had finally passed out after all that girly screaming but that just meant more dead weight and with only one good hand this was going to take a while. The endorphins and adrenaline were masking it but she was starting to realise, from dragging them, that her body was about to give in.

Eventually, with the sounds of battle flanking her, she got to the hotel that Tyler, Alex and Zalyea had been thrown into. Dragging the other two with her, she collapsed inside. Rori was passed out over the other side of the field but there was no way she could save the other girl. She had to hope Rori would wake up and save herself. Slumping into a chair, she watched the battle through a hole in the wall, her head resting on the back of the chair. She was too weak to move anything right now.

~.~.~

Lobo covered his broadsword in blue energy and swung it in a wide arc at the advancing wave of red energy. He leapt through the gap the slice created and tried to cover himself in blue energy as an omnidirectional defence against his absent opponent but found it was difficult. That meant his Vectors were coming to a limit. However, so were Raposo's. Forgetting he was in the midst of a battle, he looked up from the ground and spotted a plethora of red energy discs spinning towards him. Swatting them away with his sword, he looked for Raposo as they exploded all around him. This was just a cover.

A blade of red energy to his right.

Lobo twisted and just barely managed to block the attack but the strength of the attack nearly knocked his blade away. Both of them swung their blades again and this time; the force of the collision sent out waves of white energy, decimating the area around them and causing the ground to crack. He was going to have to end this soon or there would be even more casualties than there were already.

They flew up into the sky, continuing the dance of their swords at various altitudes until Lobo found himself falling slowly.

Raposo spotted the weakness and his blade flew down from above.

Lobo barely managed to block the attack but his wings began to fade away and he was unable to prevent himself flying down into the ground—he was plummeting without a safety net.

He crashed into the ground and felt sore all over. With the Vectors putting this much strain on his body, he dreaded to think how Riudramon was coping.

Raposo gave him no time to feel sorry for himself, however, and the blue haired idiot was already flying down towards him.

Lobo opened his mouth to unleash a fountain of blue energy, too tired to stand up just yet.

Raposo tossed his red energy blade down, retreating away from the attack.

Clamping his jaw shut, Lobo rolled to the side but Raposo's attack did more than just pierce the ground. The explosion that followed sent him flying through the air, away from the newly formed crater, as Raposo landed on the ground.

Raposo's wings had faded away too now and he flicked his hand to create a new energy sword.

"These cheap tricks won't get me." Lobo rolled to his feet, using his broadsword to help him stand up.

"Let's try a trick that isn't so cheap, then, shall we?" Raposo held up both hands and began to fire a colossal amount of red energy into the atmosphere. It was amazing he still had this much in reserve.

Half curious and half cautious, Lobo waited to see what would happen but did nothing until Raposo stopped what he was doing and formed a red shield around himself. Lobo jerked his head to create his own shield and looked around, waiting for something to happen. Then he saw it. Up in the sky, there was a black cloud forming faster than was possible. And then, a multitude of red lasers erupted from it, flying downwards. This was going to level the whole area and the areas the evacuees were in too.

Raposo smirked. "You have to make a choice, Lobo. Fight me or save the plebeians!"

Lobo ignored him and placed his palms together in a praying motion. Slowly, he began to pull them apart and move them around as if he was caressing an imaginary ball. In the space of his hands, a ball of blue energy formed but every time it grew, he condensed it again. There was seconds left for this to work.

Lobo pulled one hand away and tossed the ball up into the sky. It left a pulsating blue tail for him to continue pouring his energy into as it began to expand outwards into a huge sheet of blue energy over the city and surrounding areas. His own shield faded and he realised this was possibly going to kill him. A few lasers rained down, blowing up the surrounding areas of Sabhailte as Lobo continued to expand the shield. Explosions sounded all around as he continued to pour everything he had into it. Car alarms went off and chunks of buildings flew about. This was destruction on a scale that no one should ever be allowed to do. However, there was no way that he and Riudramon had the energy left to block this, but he wouldn't give up. Not now.

The beams began to explode against the shield, cracking it and causing cuts to appear sporadically on Lobo's body. He roared in fury, the mixture of strain and pain making his mind fuzzy. The cut on his leg opened wider and he dropped onto one knee. He was putting his own life energy into this now and he could feel himself becoming weaker. A cut across his abdomen burst open and he cursed loudly. Not much longer.

Ahead, Raposo was slowly walking towards him with a red blade of pure energy in hand.

"You can't do everything!" Raposo called. His face was a picture of cuts, dried blood and dirt but Lobo's was no better.

"I can!" Lobo was lying. If he held this for another ten seconds, he would definitely die.

"We'll see!" Raposo moved to throw his sword but the red energy dissipated from his hand, and up above the red energy beams faded away.

Lobo collapsed onto his knees, panting in sheer exhaustion and relief. "So it comes down to this!" Lobo yelled, using his broadsword to push himself up. He looked over, through the sweat and tears, to Raposo and saw his old friend, his brother, holding his broken sword.

"It's been a while since we had a simple sword fight."

Lobo lifted his sword, readying it, and watched Raposo do the same before they charged at each other for their climactic clash.

~.~.~

Aleena clambered out of the building, hoping to grab Rori now all that banging had calmed down and she'd tended to a few of her minor wounds with the first aid kit inside. However, ahead, she saw the two sprinting at each other.

A collision in the centre of their paths sent blood out everywhere.

Aleena ran to Lobo, ignoring her pain and exhaustion as he skidded to a halt.

Raposo was in the middle of the bloody mess they had just created, unmoving.

Lobo was resting on his sword in front of her, panting and pale.

Raposo fell to the ground and there was a resounding clatter from his sword.

For some reason, she felt immense pride. This random idiot had done it. Maybe he really was something—someone she could rely on.

"You did it, you won!" Aleena wrapped her arms around him without thinking.

Lobo whispered in her ear, "Run." And his body fell from her weak arms and onto the ground.

She knelt, overwhelmed with shock and looked down at Lobo. Her hands were frozen in the same position, blood dripping from them back onto the huge wound across his back. Aleena began to shake and then her mind fogged over. She was back there.

" _Aleena!" The voice came from Nyx's mouth but it wasn't her voice. "Aleena!"_

 _Alphamon looked at her. His voice was also different. "Time for you to die too."_

~.~.~

Riudramon and Dreqadramon flew at each other, their claws locking together. Riudramon snapped at her opponent's throat but Dreqadramon dodged and swung her tail into Riudramon's foreleg, making her let go. Riudramon let go with her other claw and flew underneath Dreqadramon and crashed her tail into the latter's soft underbelly.

Dreqadramon roared, spinning around and flying at her. "I will not lose!"

"Don't be so sure I will!" Riudramon flew past Dreqadramon, scratching her opponent's side but felt that sharp tail hit into her again. She spun back and they flew at each other again. "Storm of the Sky!" Riudramon commanded a lightning bolt to strike down on them both. It was the only way.

The electricity struck in an instant and spread across them both as they clawed at each other. It continued through them into the ground and caused the ground to fracture several meters outwards in a spider web pattern. Both of them fell, the electricity having immobilised them. As each hit the ground, with a thud that caused the chunks of earth around them to fly outwards, they lay still.

Riudramon grimaced, pushing her lofty body back up. She looked at Dreqadramon as they both struggled to stand on the ground, that lightning bolt had done a number on them. It had been long and arduous, and she was pretty much entirely depleted of energy, but it was nearly over.

Pain.

Riudramon roared, more primal than she ever had, as she felt her heart snap into two, with one half dissolving away. Her vision became that of the human world. There, she saw a strange girl with bloody hands near Lobo's dead body and then it disappeared. He was dead. She roared again, but this time the sheer volume of the roar shattered the ground around her, turning the previous spider web of fissures into chasms, each big enough to fit a hundred in-training Digimon in with room to spare.

Dreqadramon seemed frozen, stunned by the roar.

Riudramon darted across the ground at a shocked Dreqadramon, giving her no time to block. She bit into the neck of the red dragon and tossed her into the air. "Water Eruption!" The attack, far greater than anything Riudramon had created previously—in both size and intensity—consumed Dreqadramon, blowing the red dragon to shreds in seconds. "LOBO!"

~.~.~

Rori grabbed hold of Aleena and hugged her tightly. In her arms, the stronger girl struggled briefly before gripping onto her. Rori rested her head onto Aleena's and closed her eyes—it was all she could do to stop herself from crying. "Aleena, you've got to wake up, okay?" Ahead, she could hear Raposo's sword scraping across the ground as he staggered ever closer to enact his threat.

"I just needed one person…" It was Aleena but she sounded so distant. So lost. "I was sure it would be him."

Rori looked up at Raposo as he stopped near them. "Anything to say, girl?"

"Kill me first. I don't want to see—" Rori looked down at Aleena and then back up. She couldn't fathom it happening and she didn't want to. "Kill me first."

"If you insist." Raposo lifted his sword, bringing it to her neck.

There was a weird sound overhead. It almost sounded like. She looked up to see a large helicopter coming towards them and then a machine gun began to tear up the ground in front of them. Rori dragged Aleena away as Raposo retreated but she stopped when she saw the bullet trail was following him. She had no idea who the pilot was but she had never felt so relieved.

Raposo fell to his knees, unable to run anymore and the bullets flew at him. It was over.

At least, she had thought so, but, a wall of black flames burst from the ground and blocked the bullets. He hadn't been able to make black flames, so this was someone else. But who? When the wall fell again, Raposo was gone.

The helicopter landed in front and when the door swung open, Rori saw a familiar face.

"Howdy, climb aboard! I'm a bit late, but I had to stop and pick something up!" Conan grinned, clearly looking and feeling the polar opposite of them. "And there was that pesky digital shield too, but now I'm here."

Aleena looked over, and then got to her feet. Without a word, she walked over and disappeared in the large passenger area of the aircraft. It wasn't his usual plane, it was longer and looked almost military-like.

As Rori was about to ask him about the plane, she remembered the others. "There's room for our friends?"

Conan jumped out. "You made friends?" He ran over and wrapped his arms around her, his hug being so tight that it hurt her already battered body. "I'm so happy for you!"

Rori laughed through the squeeze as it caused pain to irradiate through her bones. "Can you let go, please?"

Conan released her and rubbed her cheek. From the look of his thumb, he was trying to rub off the dirt on her. "You two have looked worse, but you've certainly looked better."

Rori looked over to Aleena. "I'm glad you're here, Conan." She looked back at the others as they emerged from the smashed up hotel to see what was going on. "Come on, I'll introduce you!" Rori grabbed his hand and dragged him towards them.

Rori took him over to the confused and injured group. "This is The Resistance."

Conan looked them over. "Oh, I know. Many thanks for taking part in the Tokyo Mission."

Tyler opened his mouth. "How… How did you—?"

Rori had no idea what they were on about. "That's Tyler. He's got a big brain, so they put him in charge. Strange, 'cause Lord Kayran is just strong and that's why he's in charge, right?"

Conan smiled. "It's a bit more complicated than that, Rori." He looked at the group. "My name's Conan and I'll be flying you lot out of here, and, by the looks of it, treating your wounds."

Zalyea looked him up and down. "I'm not complaining."

~.~.~

Taran waited patiently in the back, wearing the headset like he'd been told until they shook about. He missed the people Conan had introduced him to at that place. Now, he was just stuck in the back of this stupid lonely plane. And Pumon was asleep so he didn't even have anyone to talk to!

Taran heard talking outside and then the door flung open. The light was blinding but as his little eyes adjusted, he saw Aleena. "Aleena, it's you!" Taran ran to her and grabbed on, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much! I met all these people that I want to tell you about! There was a girl who had awesome pink hair, just like Nyx! And there was a really tall man who could run super fast!" He looked up, beaming.

Aleena didn't say a word. She didn't move at all.

He pouted. "Is there something wrong?"

Aleena looked down at him and then lifted him off her. She walked over to one of the seats and sat down. Not even her breathing was audible.

What was the matter with her? She was never this much of a meanie to him. Taran walked over slowly and cautiously. "I missed you, Aleena…" He looked at her and was confused. Why wouldn't she talk to him? Was she mad because he left that place? Was it because he hugged her? "Aleena?" He stepped closer and looked at the Digivice held tightly in her hand. "I have one of those too!" He held up his own proudly. "Look, I have a Digimon too, now! We can go on adventures together!" He held it closer for her. "Look, see, he's called Pumon, and—"

Slap.

Taran touched his cheek, still hot from the blow. He looked back at Aleena, his eyes watering, and began to shake. Did she just? Why? "A— Aleena?" His bottom lip trembled. He didn't understand. "Have I done something wrong?" Taran stepped closer again, hoping she would forgive him. "If I have, I'm sorry…" He saw the hand move again and closed his eyes, flinching.

"Taran!" He opened his eyes to see Rori holding Aleena's wrist with a grin on her face. "Go sit down over there, or we will have to have a tickle fight!"

Taran sniffled. He was happy to see Rori too but he had been looking forward to seeing Aleena so much. "Okay."

Over the next few minutes, Rori spoke quietly to Aleena, strangers got onto the ship and then Conan announced they would be taking off. Taran had no idea who any of them were, but they all looked really hurt. So did Rori and Aleena and it made him so sad. Who would do this to them?

~.~.~

"Promise me you won't go around punching stuff until this heals, okay, partner?" Conan tied the bandage off around Aleena's hand and then looked around after a lack of a response from her.

Rori looked over at her and felt sick. All of this was too much for them. They were just children. She had to get Aleena away from it all.

"The rest of y'all should be fine if ya'll just go home and rest. The injections I gave you, courtesy of RODAF, will speed up the healing process ten-fold. Or was it twenty-fold? Gosh, I don't know. It'll be fast, for sure though." Conan locked up the first aid box and threw the rest of the needles into the nearby bin.

"Home?" Aleena muttered.

Rori felt downtrodden. They had left their home behind and now they were alone. "We don't have a home…"

Conan sighed. "I'll find you two somewhere, don't worry. Maybe you can come back with me to—"

Taran came over and pulled on Conan's sleeve. "Me? Can we all go back there?"

"I think it's about time we take you home, Taran," Conan said, ruffling his hair and smiling.

They were sat around a long table in a deserted café. A cup of cooling tea sat in front of each of them but no one was drinking, save for Conan. Biscuits were strewn across the table but no one was actively eating them—the thoughts of what had happened was still fresh in everyone's mind.

"Is he—?" Alex began.

Corinne nodded and looked over at Taran. "Is your name Taran?"

Taran nodded nervously.

Corinne smiled warmly. "It's just, we were asked by your parents to find you."

Taran perked up. "Mum and Dad miss me?"

Corinne walked over and knelt down next to him, holding his hand. "Yeah, we'll take you as soon as we can."

Conan withdrew his gun and looked it over. "What did I tell you all about going home?" He took out the magazine and loaded in bullets slowly while speaking, "I'm also pretty sure that—resistance fighters or not—teenagers should not be taking on mercenary missions. How you even got into the black market is beyond me. However, I will remind you that when children play adult games there's always casualties." He slotted the magazine back into the gun with a click.

Alex gulped but Rori knew he was bluffing.

"We got a job to do, fool!" Zalyea threw her cup at him but Conan smashed it away with the butt of his gun.

"How do you plan on taking him home? None of you look old enough to drive and I'm pretty sure Acquina is way up north."

Len withdrew an E-Map and waved it. "The journey's been planned already."

Rori watched Conan as he sipped his tea. She wasn't completely ready to settle down yet but she knew that he just wanted the best for them. "Conan?"

He looked down at his phone, reading the message that had just flashed up slowly. His face changed, just for a second, and then he put the phone away.

Conan lifted Taran onto his lap. Luckily, Rori and Aleena were close enough to hear what he whispered next. "If you need me, if anything happens, press this and I'll be there." He placed something into Taran's hand and then placed the little boy back onto the ground.

"You're going?" Taran pouted as Conan stood up.

"I'm not a babysitter, partner." He left silently and no one said anything until the sound of a helicopter filled the air briefly.

"Len, how much driving have you done in your volunteering now?" Tyler asked, withdrawing some keys.

Corinne walked over and grabbed them. "Not enough. I'll drive."

"You took keys?" Rori asked.

Tyler nodded. "While I was making the tea. We'll bring it back before they get everyone back in Sabhailte anyway." He glanced at Aleena. "Maybe I'm just picking up bad habits," he joked, chuckling.

"My mum said stealing is naughty," Taran said quietly.

"Time to go, guys, the delivery truck is out the front." Tyler walked out, finishing his biscuit as he walked.

"I'm still hungry," Alex whined.

"Me too," Zalyea grumbled.

"Aleena?" Taran tugged on her T-shirt but she simply got up and left without a word.

Rori watched the child's expression drop and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, cutie, I'll look after you."

~.~.~

Len sat in the back of the truck, resting his head on Zalyea's shoulder as she snored away.

"Hey, Len?" Alex whispered. He was laid in Len's lap.

"Yeah?" Len yawned.

Alex looked up, his white teeth visible even in the darkness of the back of the truck. "That family thing you went to, what happened?"

Len smiled and patted Alex's head. "You guys were more important."

Alex smiled warmly and patted Len on the shoulder before snuggling back up. "Night, buddy."

~.~.~

The truck, now out of Sabhailte had stopped so everyone could rest. And, behind, everyone was resting but it didn't feel possible for Aleena anymore after everything she had been through. If she fell asleep, that would require her mind to stop. And the only way she could think of it stopping now was the welcoming embrace of death.

Aleena looked down and saw everyone in the evacuation area below was having their evening meal. After it had all quietened down, they were doing something so normal, so quick. She pondered what it would be like to have such a banal and simple life and partially envied them. Her Digivice began to shine and Talmon burst out. He took a seat next to her but didn't say a word.

"It took a long time to work out how to force my way out of that thing." Talmon glanced down at the Digivice and then up at the sky. "He died to help us escape, Aleena."

Aleena growled, "What about Bertha? What was her _reason_?" Aleena gazed back down at those below. "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

"There isn't just bad and good. Life isn't black and white—you taught me that!" Talmon placed his paw on her thigh. "Grand theft auto and assault—you did them both like some sort of Action movie hero and you did them to save people."

"Alice? And mum and dad?"

Talmon didn't waver. "They made you the person I care for."

"Why do I always survive? Why doesn't someone else?" Aleena thumped the ground. "It's not fair!"

Talmon shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm glad you do." He wrapped his ear around her. "Let's help The Resistance—it'll be like a film about two cops who go rogue to save the city! But better because we'll be in it!" Talmon paused. "Just… please don't give up. Because I won't give up on you."

"Tal?" Aleena looked at him.

"Yeah?" He looked back at her and then they both looked up at the sunset.

"I'm glad we met."

* * *

 **So that's it for Lobo but what'll Raposo do next? Who was it that saved him and why? How will Aleena cope with yet another loss? LenxAlex :O Alex is a player!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	22. Chapter 21: Just Following Orders

He pushed the crutches against the sticky patterned carpet, using them to support his weak legs. The droll of the jukebox in the background was the only sound, save for a dishwasher, the quiet television in the top corner of the bar and the occasional grunt from elsewhere in the pub. He moved over to one of the bar stools, seating himself on the one next to a lone drinker at the bar. "Lemonade, please."

The man in a dirty blue shirt and jeans next to him glanced over, nursing a scotch on the rocks slowly. It was the same drink his father used to drink. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Looking over, he grinned. "Come on, King, don't be like that!" he chirped, wrapping his arm around the older male. The crutches fell to the floor, clattering, and there was silence and stillness.

Clink. The lemonade touched the bar top. "One fifty."

"You shouldn't have come, Leon." King drank the rest of the scotch and held up a finger as Leon swiped his bank card on the handheld machine held out by the bartender.

"You can't spend all your time drinking here; it's dark and it smells of toes." A scotch touched the bar and King slid his card across to the stony faced barman in a grubby grey shirt.

King took a mouthful of the scotch and then set it down. "Watch me."

Leon felt awkward. He had been warned by Conan before that they weren't to ever go with King when he went out and, as they had gotten older, they had been told it was partially due to King's drinking problems. He placed a hand over King's glass as the bald man tried to drink again. "King, please," he said, furrowing his brow. It was hard to see—and smell—him like this.

"She died, Leon." He tugged the glass free and finished it, slamming it down on the bar. "Just like the rest of 'em," he added bitterly. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes. "This is better than doing drugs." King exhaled and raised his finger again.

"Maybe we could find the egg. Maybe Kayran didn't destroy it. Maybe—"

King shook his head. "I _really_ do _not_ want to talk about this, Leon. It's over. Done." Glancing over, he hissed, "Now, _go away_."

Leon took off his blue Cuddles backpack and reached in, withdrawing a green folder, and slid it across the desk. He waited, training his blue orbs on King as the latter twirled the little red straw in the empty glass.

"What's that?" King asked, without looking over. He handed his card to the barman as a scotch touched the counter and then took a large mouthful before pulling the folder over. "Put that dumb bag away, you're not a child anymore," King said, flicking the folder open.

Leon grabbed the bag, holding the teddy bear logo close to his chest. "Cuddles is not dumb."

King rolled his eyes, finishing the drink with one hand while using the other to flick through the pages in the folder. "At least take off the matching t-shirt."

Leon frowned. "The only shirt in here that needs taking off is yours, and maybe that barman's. Both are dirty and smell of alcohols!"

King closed the folder with a snap and held up a finger to the barman, who was clearly irritated. "It's not a plural, Leon."

Leon pouted. "Whatever. We have to go."

King shook his head, and turned to the barman. "Two more. Actually make it three." He passed his card over and then looked back at Leon. "You need to leave."

Leon picked up his glass, taking a drink of the fizzy drink. "Make me." He smirked.

King picked up a wooden coaster, holding out in his palm, and then clenched his palm shut, snapping it into pieces. "Go home."

Leon looked back defiantly. There was no way he would let a silly party trick scare him. "That the worse you've got?"

King took his card back, pocketing it, as three drinks touched the bar. "Don't test me, Leon." His voice was eerily calm, but it made it clear just how close he was to exploding. However, that didn't mean Leon was going to back down, that just wasn't his style.

Smirking, he retorted, "Why, you going to fail?" Leon thrust the folder into his bag, pulling it back onto his back.

King chuckled. "That baby face of yours needs to pipe down." He finished one of the drinks whole. "Where's Aleena? She not with you?"

Leon grabbed his arm subconsciously, pulling at the white fabric of his long sleeve top. King hadn't been told.

"Well?" King crunched an ice cube in between his teeth.

Leon looked down, and whispered, "She's gone."

King raised an eyebrow, the second of his drinks poised to his lips. "Gone?" He set the drink back down and chuckled. "She quit. Good on her." King swirled the drink around and then finished it. "You?"

"I can't go anywhere," Leon said, looking down at the ground, How could he? There was someone he had to stay for.

King nodded knowingly. "Of course."

Leon lifted the blond curls from his forehead, pulling on his favourite hat. A few fell back out, tickling his face. "We going?"

King finished the final drink and looked at the bartender, then Leon. "It better not take long."

~.~.~

King pulled on his white leather gloves and zipped up the front of his jumpsuit. "You sure you should be walking around a hostile environment like this with crutches?"

Leon turned back and scoffed. "Says the guy who's still drunk!"

King shrugged and pulled on the Taser gauntlets he had been given by Professor Simyan. "No water off my back if you want to do this. Just don't get hurt."

Oobmon flew next to Leon. "I won't let him get hurt."

King smirked. "Pretty brave coming from a rookie." He looked back at Leon, his deep brown eyes focussed. "What's that thing they're making you bring in your backpack for?"

Leon shrugged. "Lord Kayran said to plant it in the middle of the city and flick the switch on top and then be out of there as soon as we can."

King nodded. "Let's do this, then, there's a whisky waiting for me."

Running, King leapt off the edge of the cliff they were waiting on. He reached onto his belt and pulled the top of one of the small white gadgets, throwing it up. The lump of metal expanded into a claw, flying outwards but still attached to the belt by a metal cable. It dug into the side of the cliff just before King hit the ground, catching him, and then he pressed a button on his belt, retracting the claw back into the belt and dropping the remaining foot to the ground. "I'll go ahead and do some recon."

His head was still a little fuzzy, but this was a fairly simple mission. The only issue would be which Digimon were waiting in the city up ahead. King still found it slightly weird that Digimon congregated into cities like humans did. They even had tall buildings with many floors and houses. Although, Calmoonmon had been so human that this sort of made sense. Ahead, he could see Digimon coming in and out of the bustling city, going about their daily business. There were a plethora of different Digimon, all living together in peace.

Looking for an inconspicuous entrance to the city, he realised that it was probably not going to be possible to get all the way to the centre without being noticed. And without his partner, and friend, Calmoonmon, he didn't have the capacity to fight a lot of Digimon. King rubbed his head and slapped his cheeks to regain focus as the alcohol spun around in his brain. On the edge of the city was one of the taller buildings, made from stone with simple holes for windows.

"Found an entrance?" Leon asked, his crutches clicking against the ground.

"Will you be able to climb with those things?" King looked back at him. It was unlikely but he couldn't leave the blond behind.

"Of course!"

King looked back at the building. Even if Leon was lying, they had to complete the mission and this was the only viable option. "Then we're going up there." He pointed at the top of the building.

"Sounds fun!" Leon chirped.

King grabbed onto the Grip Claw on his waist and tossed it again, catching about halfway up the six storey building as it reached close to the max length. "Keep me covered." Trying to steady his head, he focussed on the space ahead. Digimon were leaving and entering through the main road to the right, but there were no Digimon in front so he had a clear path. He sprinted down the small incline in the field and ran across the sandy ground circling the city. The terrain slid about under his feet until he leapt and pulled on the cord. He swayed a little as he got his footing on the, now vertical, surface but only briefly before he began to walk up while slowly retracting the wire back into his belt.

After King reached halfway and the cord was now not much longer than his arm, he looked down to see Leon struggling to work out how he would climb without using his legs. Sighing, he called down, "Well? I'm waiting."

Leon pouted. "I'm thinking!"

"Don't hurt yourself." King swung himself over to one of the windows and grabbed on before releasing the cord. "If you need help then—"

"I do not need help!" Leon protested furiously. He was such a child.

"There's nothing wrong with taking help when you need it, at least not more wrong than the fact I just realised that your trainers are that stupid Cuddles bear as well."

Leon looked down at the blue and black trainers and then back up. "Stop insulting Cuddles!"

King pulled at the Grip Claw again and tossed it up to the roof. "Why don't you come and make me?" He couldn't hurt Leon's pride, but this way he would achieve both outcomes. At least, that was the plan.

Climbing quicker this time, he reached the precipice and peered back down at Leon. The younger male was now climbing from window to window, using them as hand holds, with his legs swaying about beneath his body. Oobmon was hovering around nervously, balancing the crutches on his luminescent spherical body.

Swinging himself over the edge, King looked out across the city. Below, Digimon walked through the streets, conversing and acting so human. Buildings of varying heights, colours and shapes surrounded him, showing the industrial marvel of beings that were made from ones and zeroes. It was fairly clear where the centre was because all the roads joined a large circular paved area where lots of Digimon were congregated, shopping at the stalls there. Retracting the Grip Claw, he withdrew a blob of pink gum from one of the other pockets on his belt. A Bounce Pad, it would expand when thrown at something, another brilliant invention of Professor Simyan's. Glancing back down, he saw Leon struggling to reach the top. Although, the blond had made nearly made it. King reached down and grabbed onto him by the scruff of his stupid top and lifted him onto the roof with a grunt.

"What's the big idea?" Leon yelled, stamping his foot and wincing in pain. His legs quickly began to shake and he yelled loudly, "Dammit!"

King moved over and covered his mouth hastily. "Do not attract attention." Slipping an arm under Leon's, he held him up as Oobmon carefully flew over with the crutches.

"This isn't fair!" Leon moaned, snatching the crutches.

King shrugged, and looked down over the edge that faced a little side road below. "Life isn't fair."

Leon walked, albeit with that incessant clicking of his crutches, over and asked, "What you looking at?"

"Up for a jump, or do you want to wait here?" King held out the Bounce Pad.

"I don't wait anywhere."

"Leon…" Oobmon muttered, his little form quivering.

"We'll be down soon, buddy." That was right. This stupid white blob Digimon was afraid of heights. Between the two of them, King wasn't sure who was more useless.

Oobmon shook his body from side to side. "I'm worried about you too."

"Don't be, I'm fine!" Leon protested, grinning.

King tossed the Bounce Pad underarm and watched it fall below. As it touched the ground at the feet of a black feline Digimon, it expanded and consumed all the Digimon in the surrounding area into its gelatinous pink form. King leapt down, using the confusion to his advantage. The wind rushed past his face, rippling his jumpsuit, and strange new aromas drifted into his nostrils.

"Come on!" King yelled back up to Leon. His feet touched the Bounce Pad and it sunk inwards briefly before bounding him back out down the road towards the centre. He landed and turned to wait for Leon.

"Loopy Punch!" A strange bipedal tortoise swung a fist at him.

King sidestepped and brought his fist into the back of the Digimon. The gauntlets activated and unleashed a powerful electric impulse, scrambling its data and knocking it out. "Impressive."

"Wahh! Help!" Leon yelled as he flew through the air, waving his crutches about.

King grabbed him and started running with the blond under his arm while Oobmon flew after them.

"We're being chased, what should we do?" Oobmon asked.

King groaned. "Why don't you fight, like a normal Digimon!" he grumbled, trying not to get too angry at the timid Digimon.

"Leon?" Oobmon's voice was shaky.

Leon started punching King in the chest. "That wasn't very nice! And put me down, I can walk!"

Various Digimon attacks flew at them from all angles and the Digimon ahead were turning to see what was going on. King punched a red Digimon out the way, knocking it out, and grabbed onto another, tossing it behind them.

They reached the centre and were faced with a huge mass of Digimon. "Leon, it's time you do your thing." King placed the blond down and moved into a fighting stance. "I can take care of these."

"King, there's at least fifty!" He ducked under a fireball, struggling to get low enough on his crutches.

"Just go!" King yelled, shoving Leon into a crowd of confused Digimon.

King backed up against a wall. "Who's first?"

"He will be my opponent, my people." A spindly Digimon jumped down. It had elongated, spiked limbs, and a pale body with a dark blue suit over the top. "Spike Strike." It began to unleash a flurry of stabs with its arms.

King barely evaded each one as they dug into the wall behind him. He needed some distance. Grabbing the Grip Claw, he tossed it up and flicked the switch to drag himself upwards and out of range. Pulling it out of the building he had dug it into, he leapt down and swung his fist at the Digimon.

It backed off and then unleashed a well-aimed kick to his head before he had chance to breathe.

King slammed his forearm against the kick, pushing it away from his head and swinging with his other fist.

The Digimon spun around, the tailcoats of its blue suit becoming longer and sharper. "Spiral tornado!"

"Dammit!" King cursed, rolling out of the way and putting his fist through a small Digimon in the way. They began to walk in circles, avoiding each other like boxers, while waiting for an opening. He had to think. There had to be some way. A spark in his pocket, like burning fire. Without looking away, he reached in and felt something hard and hot. Withdrawing it, he saw it was a strange device. White with orange features. It flashed up as he held it up with an image and information on the Digimon in front of him.

 _Walkermon, Champion level, Data, Nightmare Soldiers._

 _Beware of its Dance of Death attack; it can turn you into a pincushion in seconds!_

Ignoring it, he thrust the object into his pocket. Now was the time. He ran forwards, and swung his fist as the device continued to buzz in his pocket.

Walkermon evaded, leaping into the air. "Dance of Death!" Its white body turned into a deep grey and the spikes on its body increased in size and number. As it landed again, it began to spin and twist like it was made of rubber, unleashing strike after strike at King.

Growling, King punched it in the stomach, feeling spikes graze all up his arm, and the shock caused it to pause. Thrusting the other fist into the stomach, he watched it fizzle and begin to crack as the electricity continued to pour out from the gauntlets. "How you doing, Leon?"

"They won't let me through!" Leon yelled.

King turned to see the boy struggling to get through with his crutches. "Just do it! Quickly!" He punched Walkermon a final time, causing it to crumple.

"Can't you see; I'm trying!" Leon became red in the face, furrowing his brow. "Just shut up!" The blond threw the crutches on the floor and ran through the Digimon, covering his face as they all leapt at him. "Oobmon, stay close!"

"I'm here."

Leon burst through into the centre and slammed his bag down. Tugging out the boxed machine, he pulled up the aerial and flicked the red switch. "It says nought, nought, twenty!" Leon looked back down. "Oh, eighteen."

"That's seconds!" King exclaimed. He leapt across the gap, grabbed Leon as he fell onto his knees, and then began to run through the Digimon. "You keep count."

"Fifteen," Leon said, pouting.

This kid was an inconvenience at best. "Stop pouting, there was no way you could run out in time." King saw the Bounce Pad deteriorate ahead and groaned. Yet another problem. That meant they had to go straight out the main gate.

"Stop picking me up, I'm not a doll!"

"Could've fooled me with your stupid clothes," King quipped, dodging out of the way of a ball of ice and bringing his fist into a yellow quadrupedal Digimon.

"Stop insulting Cuddles!" Leon thumped King hard but the older male ignored it and tossed a Relecmon into the air.

Oobmon appeared next to them, popping into existence. "Are you okay, Leon?"

"Five. Yeah, Oobmon, sorry we left you, pal. This stupid giant forced me to." Leon thumped him again.

"Hit me again and I'll leave you here," King said as he looked ahead. He wasn't going to make it. Running past the last of the houses, he knew in his head there was just three seconds left.

Leon thumped him, sticking out his tongue. "Two."

He ran up to the gate, throwing the guards out of the way.

"Get out, you big dummy!" Leon yelled.

King looked behind and saw the explosion. It wasn't a standard explosion though. Green waves began to fly out from the centre. When they touched a Digimon, it began to warp and change. Some grew, some shrank, some even grew wings or other appendages. Then they began to fall to the ground. He saw the weakened Walkermon, now with more limbs, turn into data as the wave hit it. "We gotta move!" King said, noting how long he had spent watching. He grabbed Oobmon and ran out of the city, and up the incline towards the cliff.

Tossing his Grip Claw, he managed to catch the edge of the cliff as the green waves were nipping at his heels. Retracting it quickly, he shot up the cliff and managed to roll onto the top. It seemed the waves wouldn't reach this far, thankfully.

"That was close," King commented, getting to his feet. Now the adrenaline was gone, his head was even fuzzier as all the alcohol really hit him hard.

"What happened to them?" Leon asked, peering over the edge.

King withdrew the object he had found as he looked at a Lithemon flying up into the sky. Except its black feathers were now red and it had two heads.

 _[In]Lithemon, Champion level, Virus, Wind Guardians, Nightmare Soldiers._

 _With a bump in the night, watch out for this Digimon's Needle Night attack!_

King was sure that 'In' thing hadn't been there before. But this was a strange new thing, so who knows? He shoved the Digivice into his pocket.

Leon looked at Oobmon. "Are you alright?"

Oobmon hovered and watched the city's Digimon in pain. "Yeah."

"Did we do that?" Leon looked up at King.

King clenched his fists. Saying yes was allowing yourself to be consumed by guilt but saying no was unfairly absolving yourself of the guilt. "We were just following orders, Leon. And now, it's time for you to follow another order. Time to go."

Leon looked at the Digimon. "But—"

King grabbed Leon, throwing him over his shoulder. " _Time to go_."

Leon thumped his back and arms. "Let me down!" When King didn't respond, he continued, and started kicking too. "This isn't fair. I wanna know what happened to all those Digimon!"

King shook his head and felt the lump in Leon's pocket. Him too. He withdrew the Portal Square and dropped it on the ground. The black square expanded and as they stepped on it, they, and it, vanished.

* * *

 **In Digimon here too, is it a coincidence? King's struggling to cope with his losses, much like someone else we know :P I wonder how he'll get out of it...? Isn't Cuddles the best thing ever!?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	23. Chapter 22: Dine n Dash

Aleena looked at the bank balance on the Cash Machine. "They haven't locked the account yet." She looked at Talmon.

"You sure it's not just to track you?" Talmon muttered as he leant against the wall.

Aleena shook her head. Thinking too much into anything at this point would get her killed. "Either way, I have to take out what I can before they lock it." She hit the max amount and then withdrew the card.

"You'll regret it," Tal sang.

"Whatever." Aleena grumbled, trying to stuff the fistfuls of money into her pockets. She could do without his snarky attitude.

Talmon kicked a bag. "I found this in the bin. It's kind of clean. And there is a little something inside too."

Aleena lifted the dirty black sports bag up slowly and saw the black handgun. Ignoring it, she thrust the money in, handful by handful until the machine stopped releasing the notes. It was surprising that people used this stuff so much. She had no idea how much any of it was even worth, but she did know that the dirty bag she was putting it in can't have cost much.

"I thought you would have been happier about the present," Talmon said, pouting. "You love guns and it was Christmas a few weeks ago."

"You got it from a bin." Aleena zipped up the bag and slung it over her back. It was fairly light but she was still quite weak. Although, Conan's injections had really sped up the healing.

"So." Talmon crossed his arms. "You're so ungrateful."

She walked around the side of the grey brick wall and to the glass front of the restaurant. Evan's Burger Palace—why they had such a place way out here was beyond her but she was glad they did. In fact, it was strange that most places seemed to have this branding. Was it even a brand? Walking inside, she headed up to the counter. "Two of everything."

The cashier looked back, confused, but eventually typed in the order.

Aleena swiped her card against the machine; she had already used it outside so using it again was of no consequence and it would allow her to save this money for later use.

Walking over to one of the many empty tables, Aleena inspected the restaurant. There were two exits, three including if she went through the kitchen. The one she came through, to her right, and the other, to her left. There was a couple sat on the other side of the restaurant and a man in a brown trench coat sat near the door she had come through. Taking a seat in the corner, she put her feet up on the seat across from her. For now, they were safe.

"Big order," Talmon commented, sitting next to her.

Aleena folded her arms and looked up at the small TV by the counter that was showing the news. "I'm hungry."

~.~.~

Corinne yawned as she woke up. Looking through the window in the back wall of the driver's compartment, she saw the others were still asleep. There was no harm in letting them sleep a little while longer. Her stomach grumbled but she ignored it. It wasn't like they had brought any money for food. But, as soon as they got to the drop off point for Taran, there was a big payday that would mean they could get involved with some of the bigger players in the fight against RODAF. It was Tyler's plan, and with everyone else's enthusiasm, she had been swept up in the idea. Although, she was beginning to question it all after what they had just gone through. Sure, she wanted to be with Lummon forever but all this fighting was becoming too much.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she slipped the key into the engine and checked the E-Map. There was a food place just up ahead, and their objective further on from that. She began to drive, looking for a spot to get onto the main road so that they could get this over and done with but a weird gurgling sound from the back startled her. Corinne slowed down and pulled the window open with one hand quickly. "You guys okay?"

"I think it was Taran," Rori chirped. "It's really dark back here." What if he was hurt?

"You alright, Kiddo?" Zalyea asked.

The gurgling sound ensued again. "Hey, Kiddo!" Zalyea yelled.

"I bet he's hungry." Alex yawned. "I am too, just for the record."

"Now that you mention it," Rori muttered.

"There's a diner just up ahead. What do you think, Ty?" Corinne called back, trying to keep her eyes on the road.

"Sounds good to me, pull over there," Tyler said as another gurgle came from the darkness behind Corinne's head. It was like a symphony of stomachs back there!

~.~.~

The doors of the truck swung open, allowing light to spill into the back. "Does this class as stealing, Ty?" Alex asked as he climbed towards the light, covering his eyes with his arm. It was something that had been weighing heavily on him.

Tyler climbed out first, helping Alex out and then turning to the others to help them. "The truck?" He looked up from the message he was typing to his mother.

Alex stretched. "Yeah." He looked around. They were way out of Sabhailte now. Luckily his parents were away so he didn't have to worry about them missing him.

Corinne walked around from the front of the truck and pocketed the keys. "Alex, it's just borrowing. Go inside so Tyler and I can talk," Corinne said, lifting Taran out and setting him down onto the ground.

Well, that was rude of her. "Sweetie, men are talking," Alex said, placing an arm around her and clicking his tongue.

Zalyea thumped him in the stomach, winding him. "Let's go." She grabbed him by the arm, Len taking the other one, and they walked inside.

As they entered, and Alex got his breath back, he could see just how quiet it was. There was barely anyone in there. "You guys are going to have to stop being so mean to me," Alex grumbled. "I'm a person too!"

"A person who sometimes shouldn't say the things he does," Len said, letting go of Alex's arm.

"Yeah, and you're stupid," Zalyea said, letting go of his other arm and checking her Digivice.

What an insult! "Not as stupid as you!"

"What did you just say to me?" Zalyea glared at him.

Alex turned to face her, frowning. "You heard me."

Len sighed. "Break it up, guys."

"Took your time."

Alex turned and saw Aleena. The new girl. Maybe now was time to go make a move.

"How did you get here?" Len asked as the others walked in.

"I walked." She was short and spicy as ever!

"Aleena…" Taran muttered, pulling at the sleeve of Rori's tattered grey cardigan. That kid was so annoying! Always blocking the fun.

Aleena rolled her eyes. "I ordered food but it's too much for us." She looked at Talmon, who was snoozing next to her in the red leather booth, and then back at them. "So, I guess there's enough for you guys."

"Me too?" Taran asked. He looked down at his feet, kicking them on the ground. Christ, this puppy dog shtick was taking away all the romance.

Aleena patted the spot on her left.

While Taran ran over, the others waited.

However, Alex had no idea why they were waiting and neither did his stomach. He walked over, taking the seat across from Aleena. "For me? You shouldn't have." He winked. This was going to be a banquet of epic proportions.

"How did you afford all of this?" Corinne asked as the others slowly walked over.

"RODAF pays— paid well." Aleena picked up a bottle of water, drinking it. "I don't like this stuff much anyways. We were never allowed it."  
Zalyea shoved Alex to get hold of a plate of chips. "Yo, what did you eat, then?" She was so rude.

Alex shoved her back, snatching the plate and shovelling the chips into his mouth while she pulled at it, doing the same with her free hand. There was no way he'd lose this contest!

Rori looked over Taran's head at Aleena and then at Zalyea. "Fruit, vegetables, fish, one portion of meat every few days, vitamin supplements. A balanced diet, really."

"That sounds like hell," Zalyea said through a mouthful of chips.

Rori shrugged. "I've always lived like that. Back when—" She paused. "I was little, that was all I ate."

"Why did you decide to go ahead?" Tyler asked, sipping a coke. "Perhaps you've reneged on our agreement as it's no longer mutually beneficial?"

Alex placed down his chips and grabbed hold of a cheeseburger he saw Len had his eyes on. "This is so good." He didn't care much for the talking that was going on but it was good for entertainment in between bites.

Aleena raised an eyebrow in his direction. She was so feisty. "I'm glad you enjoy it." She turned to Tyler. "I thought I wanted to go it alone but Talmon showed me you guys are alright. So, we're back here."

Len held up a burger. "Thank you, Aleena."

Shrugging, Aleena picked up her water bottle again.

They ate for a little while, their empty stomachs slowly being filled. Aleena spoke suddenly, breaking the sound of chewing. "Taran, I'm sorry I hit you."

"You hit him? Yo, that's wrong," Zalyea said. She swallowed the rest of the food in her mouth. "You need to check yourself."

"Zalyea," Tyler hissed.

Taran looked up, swallowing the food in his mouth. "It's okay, I'm fine, see." He touched his cheek and smiled broadly. Hiding his true feelings obviously. Why couldn't they argue? That would be so much more entertaining!

Aleena smiled a little. It was weird to see her smile. But a nice weird.

"You're prettier when you smile." Alex looked down, feeling a little embarrassed that he had just said that out loud. His brain to mouth filter had failed again.

"I—" Aleena froze. "That's a strange thing to say."

Turning back to Taran, Aleena reached down to her feet. "Were you alright with Conan? I can see he gave you something to wear."

Taran nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Well, actually it was the girl, Celeste! The one I told you about with pink hair." Pink hair? Maybe Alex could find and meet this Celeste too. That kid might be good for something yet.

Aleena smiled. "I remember. If you were still cold, I took this from one of the staff." Aleena reached into a bag by her feet and pulled out an Evan's Apparel blue hoodie. "It's a bit big but—"

Taran took it gratefully, smiling. "Thank you!" He pulled it on. "It's so cuddly!"

"It's…" She looked at Talmon. Embarrassed? Flustered? This wasn't the woman Alex knew. "Just make sure you stay warm."

Taran hugged her tightly. "You are really nice Missus Aleena."

Aleena looked uncomfortable and slightly startled, opening her mouth slightly. "I… well, thank you."

Tyler spoke up. "Aleena?"

Aleena lowered her bottle of water from her lips. "Hm?"

"I've been thinking, and there's a high probability that they placed a tracker in Rori's neck, too, right?"

"Wait, what?" Rori spat out the lettuce in her mouth.

"They put a tracking chip in your neck as part of the medical exam so they can always find you, even if you take the one out of your PDA." Tyler twirled the straw in his coke. "And one in Conan's neck too."

"Mister Conan got it taken out while we were at this strange place. Maybe they could help you too, Rori!"

Rori smiled. "Maybe, Taran." Withdrawing her PDA, she looked it over. "There's one in here too?"

Aleena snapped her head towards Rori. "You took it out, right? Rori?"

Rori lifted it up, looking underneath and shrugged. "Maybe?"

Aleena snatched it and picked up the metal napkin box. Lifting the box high, she crashed it down onto the PDA repeatedly until it was nothing but parts, silencing even Zalyea and Alex's fighting. Then, sifting through, she found a small chip.

"What are you doing?" Taran asked.

"Cover his ears." Aleena ordered. She pulled out a gun and shot the chip and then without pausing, swung her arm round, pointing it at a lone diner near the door. Aleena pulled the trigger again and Alex watched the man's head fall into his soup, the spoon clattering to the floor before his body and the bowl of soup followed with a crash. It was sickening. Almost enough to put Alex off his food. His brain was still struggling to process it as he chewed the hotdog in his mouth.

"What the hell?" Zalyea exclaimed. His thoughts exactly.

Len was frozen in place, staring at the blood splattered across the wall as the other diners ran out, covering their heads.

"Don't let him see," Aleena hissed.

Rori slowly lifted her hands away from Taran's ears as Aleena put the gun back in her bag. She used her body to block the sight of the man behind her.

"You found a use for it?" Talmon asked, yawning.

Everyone was looking at her, Alex included, trying to work out her reasoning.

Aleena got up wordlessly, ignoring them, and walked over to the man. Reaching into his jacket, she pulled out his wallet. She had enough money to pay for all of this; why was she stealing? Walking back over, she opened the wallet upside down, dropping the notes and coins onto the table. Pulling out the cards she tossed them onto the table and sifted through until she lifted one up and held it out to them.

"Yo, what is it?" Zalyea asked, taking the card.

"You killed him!" Alex said, looking back and forth between Aleena and the man. In her hand, he spotted the RODAF logo on the card and realised why.

Aleena looked back at the man. "He'll have told them as soon as he saw me but I wasn't sure until I saw him on a PDA just like Rori's. It means they're probably here by now." She slammed the card down. "I waited for you guys once and I've just done this for all of you too." She looked around at all of their shocked faces. "But if you aren't okay with it then I'm going to need you all to go. I'm not saying you have to pull the trigger but if you can't sleep at night because of this then I'll let them get to you and make sure you don't get to sleep at all."

Everyone fell silent until Taran spoke. "I want to sleep, Aleena." He pouted. "You'll let me, won't you?"

Aleena's face softened and she stood back up. "Of course."

Tyler looked over at the man and asked, "Why did you wait so long to—?"

"To shoot him?" Aleena shrugged. "I was hoping he would be alone and it would allow us to only have him following us. But with the trackers and his alert message, they'll be sending more experienced Field Agents." She grabbed her bag and Taran's hand and walked towards the door—making sure to prevent Taran from seeing the body. "I'll go keep an eye out. Talmon." She looked at her partner and he leapt up, following her out.

"Did that really just happen?" Len asked slowly.

"Why won't she block me from seeing that, yo?" Zalyea said, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"I suppose she's right. We will need to accept that our actions have consequences and just have to minimise the damage. Right, Corinne?"

Corinne, having been completely silent throughout this, looked up. "I'll ignore it but don't expect me to justify it, Ty. Can we please just leave?"

"It was my fault," Rori said, looking at the destroyed device on the table. "I better go." She got up, heading after Aleena.

"Rori, it is correct that we have not been acquainted with you long, but you're one of us now." Tyler stood up. "We're here for you."

"Really?" Zalyea asked, through a mouthful of food. "Even though these crazies just killed someone?"

"Yes, really," Corinne said, placing a hand on Zalyea's shoulder. She seemed more sure now. "If we don't have each other right now then we're alone. And I like our odds better together." She turned to Alex and rolled her eyes. "Alex, finish your food."

Alex debating ignoring her or making a pass at her, but decided against it and finished the portion of onion rings by ramming them all into his mouth.

"You're so attractive, Alex," Corinne muttered sarcastically. Hadn't stopped her from kissing him in the past.

Zalyea tried to laugh but curly fries spilled from her mouth.

Corinne rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "You two are just as bad as each other."

"Hey!" they both blurted, offended.

"Rori, don't worry. Gimi will help you," Len said, pushing his hands into the big front pocket of his green frog hoodie.

"How can he if it's inside me?" Rori asked, looking downcast.

"Gimi's abilities are beyond human comprehension, Rori." Tyler placed a hand on her shoulder and then headed outside. "Let's get going, guys."

~.~.~

Rori looked around for Aleena but felt someone bump into her before she could find the green haired girl.

"What took you so long?" Aleena yelled, dropping her bag in front of them.

Across from them were two RODAF agents with their Digimon out.

"Felismon!" Alex yelled, releasing his partner quickly.

Felismon flopped onto the ground, her data shuddering. "Not yet. That—" A loud zapping sound came from her as her data fizzled. "Battle took a lot out of me." She was quickly sucked back into Alex's Digivice and everyone looked worried.

Rori looked down at Orchidemon's image on the screen of her own Digivice and realised that she, too, wasn't fully recovered yet.

"None of them are recovered yet, I presume," Tyler said, looking at his own Digivice.

There was a chorus of yeses.

Tyler pocketed his Digivice. "I would assume it's due to the effects of the Energy Shroud."

Aleena groaned. "You guys stay put. Rori, can you handle Patricia?"

Rori looked ahead and saw Patricia and Tony, the ever incompatible duo. Talmon spat out an energy ball at Vimon and Bamon, Tony and Trish's partners respectively, and then leapt onto the roof of the diner. The two followed him, bickering. Talmon wasn't a whole lot better than the others but hopefully he would have enough energy to hold them off.

"I'll try." Rori was still extremely sore all over from the fight and it was obvious that Aleena was not at full strength with her broken knuckles.

"I'm going to tear your hairs out one by one!" Patricia yelled, withdrawing her Taser gun.

"Just come quietly, please," Tony muttered, also taking out his Taser gun.

Aleena grabbed the lid off the bin outside of the diner and threw it like a Frisbee at Tony, running after it. She leapt into the air as she saw them shoot, aiming with her handgun. However, she noticed immediately that neither one of them had bothered to look up at her. That meant Rori was their target.

Tony smashed the bin lid away as both shots missed Rori, who had hidden behind the bin.

Landing behind Tony, Aleena swung her leg at his head, but he turned and caught it, squeezing so tight she thought it might snap instantly. His strength was something else entirely. She pulled the trigger of her handgun at his shoulder, making him drop her and rolled to the side as Patricia ran at Rori.

Tony clamped his hand on his shoulder, aiming the Taser gun at her while staggering about.

Aleena darted forwards, diving into his chest and knocking him to the floor. Admittedly, she would lose in a contest of strength, but she had to hope she wouldn't.

A swift punch to her head made everything go black for a second before she was thrown off him.

Opening her eyes, she saw him getting to his feet while her head pounded incessantly. On the floor; he had dropped his Taser gun. Grabbing it, she shot him in the chest before he had chance to do anything and he began to convulse on the floor. Getting up slowly, she waited for the shock to stop, and placed her hands on his head, lifting it up briefly before smacking it down and knocking him out.

Aleena fell back onto her bum; her hand, head and ankle were throbbing. She saw Rori and Patricia exchanging blows. Rori was much more agile, avoiding blows and trying to deliver swift jabs and kicks while Patricia swung a haymaker every single time. Aleena picked the Taser gun back up slowly and aimed carefully. It was hard to get a clear shot with them moving about so much. She narrowed her eyes and then pulled the trigger. "Rori, duck!"

Rori dived to the floor and the charge hit Patricia before she could react. "Thanks!" Rori called, getting up.

Aleena slowly walked over, breathing deeply. "We have to get out of here before—"

"Before what, Aleena?" Aleena knew that voice. Looking around, she searched and saw the source up in the sky. "I get here?"

* * *

 **Who just arrived and what are they going to do? How will the gang escape this time? And why is the Evan brand everywhere?**

 **Also, I'm now hosting a competition for a design of Otarumon. Art skill is not required, the reward is just that your version of Otarumon becomes a part of the story and will appear again. You may choose to create a bio as well as a drawing, this is up to you. Submit it to my dA or FFN.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	24. Chapter 23: Cory Daytona

Taran looked up and saw a strange green haired boy stood on top of a big brown bird. It was really cool; it had rocket launchers, metal feet and a helmet. Was he Aleena's brother?

"It's you," Aleena stated flatly. She didn't seem very happy to see him.

The man on the bird held a handgun in each hand. "You've looked better." Flicking the hammers back on both guns, he smirked. "Such a shame you traitors will die here." He lifted the guns, pointing them at Aleena and Rori.

Taran gripped onto Aleena's sleeve. Was he serious? Why was her brother so nasty? "I'm scared."

He felt her hand pat his head comfortingly. "It'll be okay, go wait back there." She pushed him behind, where Corinne grabbed onto his shoulders firmly.

"Don't worry," the blonde soothed even though her hands were shaking.

"Who's that?" Len asked, inching towards the truck.

Aleena gripped her gun tightly. "Cory Daytona, Conan's little brother."

"I don't want him to hurt you," Taran said, reaching out and grabbing Aleena's t-shirt.

Aleena looked back, her eyes shaking. "Get going. All of you."

"Ty?" Corinne said, looking to the black haired boy.

"We should do as she says. Everyone let's go."

Cory called out, "You do know that after I kill these two, I'm moving on to your pathetic excuse for a resistance movement next."

Aleena shook her head and threw her arm out in front of them. "Leave them out of this!"

Alex ran in front. "I'll defend you, Aleena."

"Move." Cory shot the ground at Alex's feet. "The next one goes in your brain." He pointed one gun at Alex and the other at Aleena.

Alex stayed firm, but he seemed to be trembling, until Aleena pushed him behind herself. "Let's fight this out. You and me." She pointed her gun at him and he mirrored her.

"Do you think you'll react fast enough?" Cory smirked. It was absolutely terrifying. The wind had stopped blowing and the air seemed very still. It was like the calm before a storm.

Aleena shrugged. "Let's find out." Her hand was shaking slightly.

This was the first time Taran had ever seen her afraid. Why was this guy so mean?

 _Bang!_

~.~.~

Talmon rolled across the ground, the sting of the last attack burning into his abdomen.

"Finish him, Bamon!" Vimon yelled, slithering quickly towards Talmon.

This was either going to be the part of the movie where a good guy died to raise the stakes or they got up at the last second. He had to make sure it was the latter. "Energy Burst." He spat out the ball of blue energy, blowing Bamon out of the air, and got to his feet.

"I'll kill you." Vimon leapt through the air.

Talmon side-stepped at the last moment, Vimon flying past him and into the air extractor.

It was now or never. Gathering what remained of his strength, he said, "Seven Dragon Magic." Holding out his paw, he unleashed the smoky dragons from the lime green glyph that formed. They spread out, ensnaring his two distracted opponents and then beat them against each other until they eventually stopped moving.

A loud scream pierced the air. Was that? No, he was sure it was Taran but still.

Talmon released the ability, no longer able to muster anymore strength, and moved over to the edge tiredly. Even with how worried he was, his body wasn't responding to his whims fast enough. Spotting Aleena on the floor, he leapt off, staggering as he hit the ground and falling to his knees at her side. "Aleena!"

Rori was on top of Cory, and both were lay in a heap on the ground, while Warhawkmon circled menacingly above. Neither of them was moving.

Len had his fingers on Aleena's neck and was looking at his watch. "She just passed out; I think it's from exhaustion."

"Rori?" Corinne called, her voice fearful.

"Aleena! Rori!" Taran yelled, sobbing. "Wake up!"

Talmon looked over at Cory and Rori as Cory got to his feet. Did that mean? He tossed Rori at the diner wall like a ragdoll. She seemed to have an empty syringe sticking out of her neck "You're lucky I missed. It won't happen this time." He pointed his gun at her.

Patricia and Tony began to yell from the roof.

"Go see what's going on with those idiots," Cory ordered, not taking his eyes off Rori as his partner flew off. "Now to see your brain go splat."

"Human child, lower your weapon." A half-man half-lion creature walked out of the diner, pulling out a short sword from a scabbard on his back. It looked over to them all. "Gimi told me to help you escape. Do so quickly," the creature ordered.  
Zalyea held up her Digivice.

 _Leomon, Champion level, Vaccine, Nature Spirits, Virus Busters._

 _With his Lion King sword, the king of the beasts can be deadly to any opponent he faces._

Zalyea then spun it to face the bird Digimon.

 _Warhawkmon, Champion level, Data, Nature Spirits, Wind Guardians._

 _His Shocker attack will come as a real shock!_

"Are you sure?" Tyler asked.

"A human boy won't defeat me." Leomon twirled his sword in his hand and then leapt at Cory. "Beast Sword!" Flames covered the blade as he slashed, unleashing a wide arc of fire that scorched the ground.

Cory leapt into the air and shot Leomon twice but the bullets were both deflected by his sword. This was truly a master of swordsmanship.

"Let's get in the van and go," Corinne said, grabbing Taran's hand.

"What about Aleena?" Taran said, reaching out. "I don't want to leave her!"

Corinne groaned and tugged his hand. "We won't leave her, just—"

"I've got her," Alex said, moving underneath her arm.

"Me too," Len said, strained as the two lifted her and carried her towards the van.

"Leomon, you have my gratitude," Tyler said. He looked over at Rori. "Talmon, can you assist?"

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon punched the air, creating an intangible lion's head that seemed to burn.

The projectile flew at Cory but he managed to flip out the way and fire off two more shots as the lion's head blew a hole in the ground. "Don't think you'll take Rori that easily," Cory yelled, shooting at Talmon and Tyler.

Zalyea grabbed hold of Tyler's hand. "Come on, fool!" She pulled hard, tugging him towards Rori and away from the gunfire as Talmon just barely ran after them.

Talmon puffed and panted as he watched Cory. How were these normal kids still going when even Aleena and Rori had conked out? He was exhausted. Maybe going inside that Digivice wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Zalyea and Tyler lifted Rori behind him as he prepared to fight, even though he knew that he wouldn't be a match against Cory. He wanted to stay and fight but he knew Warhawkmon would be back in a moment and then he would lose for sure.

"Cover us, please, Talmon," Tyler said as they slowly carried Rori back towards the white van.

Talmon slowly followed them, ducking as Cory fired off several shots. The bullets pierced the diner wall and the workers inside screamed in fear. "I think we should go faster!" Talmon exclaimed.

"You try carrying her, she may be little but she chubby as hell!" Zalyea snapped.

Leomon rushed across the ground in a flash and flipped to the side, bringing his foot towards Cory, which the latter dodged, but then followed up with a swing of his sword, grazing Cory's cheek.

Cory pointed his gun at Leomon but the latter sliced the end off and then brought his blade back towards Cory.

Growling, Cory tossed the gun away and withdrew his other handgun from its holster under his arm.

Talmon stepped carefully after Tyler and Zalyea, not taking his eyes off Cory as he and Leomon continued to evade each other's attacks.

As they clambered into the back and slammed the door shut, Talmon looked around for Aleena inside of the van but it was in vain in this darkness.

"Hold on," Corinne said, and the vehicle flew into motion.

~.~.~

Leomon slashed at Cory as he ran after the van, but the latter withdrew a small metal baton and flicked it to extend it into a pole capable of blocking the attack. They pushed against each other, Cory peeking over his shoulder as the sound of the van faded. He grimaced, clearly angry.

"Leomon, get out of there." It was Gimi coming from the communications device attached to the waist of his ripped black trousers.

"Beast Fang." Leomon swiped with his free hand, unleashing a blade of red energy.

Cory blocked it with the pole briefly before being thrown back by the attack.

"Whirlwind!" A brutal tornado threw Leomon back against the diner before he could react and a Digimon flew down next to that human boy. "I am here to assist."

"Perfect timing," Cory replied with a devilish grin.

"Destroy him," Cory stated as he reloaded his gun. "I presume you two will be useless as ever." He looked over at the humans who were stood nearby with battered Digimon.

"Don't call us useless," the female human yelled.

"Shocker!" Warhawkmon squawked and fired a rocket from each wing at Leomon.

Leomon leapt up, cutting one in half but the second struck him, paralyzing his muscles.

Warhawkmon swooped down, digging its claws into his shoulders and flying up into the sky. "Skydive." Warhawkmon was wrapped in a cyclone of green wind and carried higher into the clouds before the bird Digimon threw Leomon up into the air. The claws dug into Leomon's shoulders again as he was flown, face first, back towards the ground. Abruptly, the claws tugged out of his skin and Leomon flew towards the earth.

Even though he had regained control of his muscles, there was no way to stop the impact. He tapped the communications device. "I'm sorry Gimi." Grabbing the chunk of metal, he crushed it in his paw.

Leomon crashed into the ground and expected it to be over there and then but somehow he was still alive. He pushed himself back up, coughing as his data spiralled away from the wounds he had sustained. "Human child. We will—"

Two more rockets crashed into him, freezing him in place.

Cory thrust his pole into the ground and pulled off the top to release a plume of orange smoke. "This one will make Kayran happy."

~.~.~

Pushing hard, he exhaled; the metal bar in his hands rose up as he lay back looking at the ceiling. Leon lowered the weights again, until they were at his chest and then pushed until his muscles felt like they were on fire. The recovery of his body had been fast with all of RODAF's medicine and he was almost back to normal now.

"Leon." Was that?

He tried to look but the bar fell towards him and then froze mid-air.

Alice walked over, her hands outstretched. She moved around behind the workout bench, and grabbed onto the barbell, relinquishing her mental control over the metal.

With a clink as she rested it into the holder, Leon sat up and wiped down his forehead with the nearby pristine white towel. "Alice, what are you doing here?"

"I presume you know about Aleena." Alice walked around until she was facing him. She was wearing nothing but a torn black cocktail dress with flecks of blood on and her face was heavily made up, although some of it had been smeared.

Unable to focus on anything other than the shocking change in appearance, he stammered, "You look… wow."

"Good to see your accident didn't affect your verbal skills." Alice leant back against one of the exercise machines. "I was on a mission. Turns out a branch of The Future Fighters were holding a ball." Flicking dirt out from her fingernails, she said in a deadpan voice, "It's over now." She looked around, presumably to check how close the other few people in the gym were. "Now, about Aleena."

Shocking enough that Alice had survived the overuse of the body enhancing pills Simyan had prescribed and the excessive use of the strange power that no one would ever explain, she was back out and fighting before him too. The only mystery left was what she was going to do to Aleena.

Guzzling down the water from his Cuddles water bottle to help himself cool down, Leon nodded.

"Cory has been sent after both her and Rori." Alice ran her fingers through her hair, which had been matted with blood, and tried to shake it clean.

Leon burst to his feet. Anyone but Cory! That was like a death sentence. Maybe Alice had a plan. She had to have a plan! "Rori too?"

Alice nodded, flicking her scarlet hair back so it hung down over one shoulder. "They'll die, I'm afraid."

Unable to comprehend losing those two, he felt a rush of emotions and thoughts. "What if—?"

"They'll die."

Alice sighed. "I'm sorry."

How could she be sorry? That was her sister! She wasn't even trying to stop it! "Can't you do something?"

Shrugging, Alice replied, "I'm not sure that's possible. Kayran watches my every move. Perks of the job." She was referring to the side branch of RODAF that specialised in assassination, of which Cory was also a part of.

"Still, you have to stop Cory from hurting her. Please, Alice." Leon stood up and grabbed her hands. "Promise me you'll look after Aleena, and Rori too." He quickly regretted this when she didn't respond.

Alice squeezed back lightly, her face contorting slightly as she seemed to think about it. "You should make the same promise, after all you're more likely to be able to—"

Leon nodded eagerly. "I promise."

"Me too." Alice pulled her hands free. "Don't touch me without warning in future."

Leon stepped back, picking up the towel and wiping down the bench. "Sure."

"That thing in your back pocket," Alice said.

Leon turned, confused as to what she was on about and then he remembered he had been carrying around that strange object while trying to work out what it was. He had just been about to go to Professor Simyan after this. "This?" he asked, withdrawing the aqua and white device.

Alice reached out gingerly. "That's a…"

"You know what it is?" How on earth did she? He felt his face light up. Well, at least he would finally find out. "Well?"

Alice withdrew an identical one except the coloured areas were pink on hers. "It's a Digivice, Leon. I think we need to talk."

* * *

 **So Alice has one too!? Gimi can really pick them. Or is there someone else at work? Will they all finally escape RODAF, if even for just a little while? Will Rori and Aleena be okay? Poor Leomon! Hopefully, I don't follow the usual trope...**

 **Also, I'm now hosting a competition for a design of Otarumon. Art skill is not required, the reward is just that your version of Otarumon becomes a part of the story and will appear again. You may choose to create a bio as well as a drawing, this is up to you. Submit it to my dA or FFN.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	25. Chapter 24: The Calm Before The Storm

"I think I've got stomach cramps," Alex grumbled.

Len laughed. Alex always knew how to lighten the mood. "Just lie down and relax."

Alex's disgruntled voice came from somewhere in the back of the van. "Easy for you to say."

Len smirked, he was adorable really. It was a shame he put on such an overconfident cocky front, it really hid the best parts about him from everyone.

"Is everyone alright back there?" Corinne called as the car jittered about. "We didn't forget anyone, did we?" Her voice let on to the fear she was feeling but she was outwardly calm as ever. Ever the mother hen of their group, she would worry over the smallest cut and try and stop any of them from taking any risks when she could. Her future children were going to be wrapped in cotton wool for sure.

Tyler reached up and pulled open the little window hatch between the driver's compartment and the back of the truck, allowing some light to spill in to the dim compartment. "Do you think you could drive a bit smoother?" Ty, their leader, was a very private person. He hated being their leader actually, but Len couldn't imagine a more caring, intelligent, brave person in charge of them. It certainly wouldn't be him, that was for sure.

Len looked around at everyone. Taran was sat in the corner, with his knees tucked into his chest and Rori and Aleena were just barely visible on the floor. They were a strange bunch for them to take on board. Taran was just a terrified little kid and Len had seen him silently crying almost the whole time they had been in this van. Alex was lay at his feet and Zalyea opposite. "Are you even driving on a road, Corinne?" Len asked as he was thrown into the air and landed on his bum with a thud. Pain shot up his tailbone. "'Cause it doesn't feel like it."

"Not quite," Corinne called back. "I'm taking the scenic route. I figure he can't follow us through here with that bird."

"Some scenery," Alex said, rubbing his stomach. "All I can see is black."

"Then get out and walk," Corinne joked, her deadpan humour being something that was hard to decipher at times, evidenced by the lack of laughter. Corinne sighed. "When are we due at the drop off location?"

Tyler placed Aleena's gun carefully back into her bag. Aleena was the biggest problem they had ever faced. Why on earth it was important to have her on their team, Len had no idea. Sure, an ex-RODAF operative was useful but cost-benefit analysis dictated she should have been cut loose already. Tyler tapped on his phone, the light illuminating his slim face. "Half five, I believe."

"Yo, it's three now," Zalyea called, the dim light of her Digivice lighting up her tired eyes. "Hey, Gaimon's looking better." Zalyea hated being begrudged sleep and Len could tell she was a couple hours away from cranky already.

~.~.~

Alex looked up at the dark roof and thought back to the last time he had been in a vehicle for so long. It had been the time his family took him to New Zealand for paragliding. That's when he had first met a Digimon. Out while he was exploring in the woodlands, he had felt his hairs stand on end while climbing up to a cave at the precipice of a waterfall. All he remembered was that it was a huge bird, bigger than any he had seen. Red-brown feathers covered its body and it was asking for help but when he had gotten close it was sucked back into nothingness. Back then, he hadn't known it was a Digimon. But now he did.

Lifting his Digivice from the pocket of his jeans, he looked at the little green D, which signified Felismon was still recovering. He couldn't help but feel guilty for using something like that Energy Shroud. When they had first met, that little black cat hated him and he would have done anything to get back at her for the numerous scars he now had but these days he noticed that she had changed somewhat. Hurting her now was like hurting a part of him. And then he forgot all about it. "I'm hungry."

"How can you be hungry after all that food, fool?" Zalyea snapped. She was so grumpy!

Alex rubbed his stomach and daydreamed about burgers. "I just am."

As the car bumped about, Alex found his stomach churning. Getting onto his knees, he prepared to throw up.

"Motion sickness is so unattractive." Zalyea laughed loudly. Pushing her out of this van was steadily becoming the only option.

"Shut up," Alex blurted, trying to gulp in air to prevent the nausea. His head spun about and he struggled to see straight.

"I wonder if we stand the fool up, if he'll fall over." Zalyea began to howl with laughter but no one else joined in. Thank god they all weren't as mean as her.

The van shuddered violently.

"Sorry, the ground's pretty bad up ahead," Corinne called back.

"Why don't we have windows?" Alex whined, trying to keep himself upright. If he was at least able to see outside or get some fresh air that would help for sure.

"How are we doing for time?" Tyler asked sleepily.

"We're nearly there and we've still got a couple hours," Len said, the bright glow of the E-Map spreading incandescent light throughout the back compartment.

"Remember when Alex threw up while we were in Japan?" Corinne called back to the group.

"Yeah, I do," Alex moaned. He couldn't believe she had brought that up but he was doing everything in his power to not throw up right now and had no energy to stop the teasing that would inevitably follow.

"Chunks were everywhere," Corinne said, laughing.

"Back when we fought Myotismon, right?" Len said, chuckling.

Zalyea grumbled, "That fool was annoying."

"But sans his involvement, we wouldn't possess Champion Digimon," said Tyler, looking down at his Digivice fondly. "And I believe we all benefitted from the experience thoroughly."

Alex nearly flew into the air as they went over a massive bump and he was sure his stomach actually had flown into the air, leaving him behind. "Corinne, I'm sure you're doing this on purpose!" Most things she did seemed to hold an err of the grudge she held against him. Being that he had broken up with her when they were younger, it kind of made sense.

"Would I ever?" Corinne said with mock shock. "I remember you guys' teamwork sucked."

"I believe your own teamwork was also lacking, Cori," Tyler retorted.

"Well at least _I_ tried," Corinne mumbled and then they flew over another bump. She was so stubborn! Why did she always think she was right?

"Tried and failed." Alex laughed briefly before the nausea reminded him why he was keeled over. Dry retching, he wished for it all to end soon.

"Butt out, Shorty," Corinne snapped. Everyone started laughing as Alex gagged again.

"Hey, maybe some respite from this cooped up van would be best right now?" Tyler said, looking at Alex. "I'm not certain he can take much more and we're doing exceptionally for time." Thank god someone finally said it!

"Sounds good, I'll pull over." The van slowed down, the bumps becoming gentler as they drove over them. Alex felt extreme relief and the birds that were running around his head began to fly away.

"Yo, we got any food?" Zalyea asked. "I didn't finish back there." And yet, _he_ was the pig!

"Strangely enough, we were more preoccupied with our egress, Zalyea," Tyler said, sighing.

"Just a question." Zalyea shrugged and then folded her arms. "A shake or something even, I mean, I'm not asking for the earth." Throwing her arms up she slumped back. "I mean, come on. A girl's gotta eat."

Len laughed. "I love you, Zalyea." She was so different to him and yet they got along so well. It would never make sense to Alex why someone so nice would be friends with someone so crass.

"Shut up, fool. You admire me, it's diff'rent." Zalyea thumped her chest. "Awesome wasn't made overnight."

As they stopped, Alex leapt out onto the dirt track, gulping in the fresh air and leaning against a tall tree. "I'm gonna need a minute!"

"As long as you don't throw up on me, you can have an hour," Len said as he climbed out and stretched his arms. It was still dark out here but much brighter than the back of the van. Len was a rock to Alex when he needed it. A friend that Alex never really expected to make, considering how Len was so kind, quiet and nerdy.

"Just remember we can't spend too long, guys," Corinne announced as she got out of the white van and walked around. Branches snapped between her feet and then she came to a stop, leaning against the dirty metal side of the van. Her blonde hair still seemed almost untouched despite all that had gone on and hung down against the mud-stained van.

"We know," everyone chorused as they took in their surroundings. A few sparse bushes were around but little animal or plant life other than them was about. The ground was muddy but mostly dry and the trees that reached into the heavens, as if to touch the clouds, had few leaves at this time of year.

Corinne sighed, rolling her deep blue eyes, and said, "You don't need to make me feel like your mother, guys, but someone has to make sure we stick to a schedule."

"It's cold," Zalyea grumbled, zipping up her pink jacket.

Alex snorted. She was such a girl.

"You should've bought a _real_ jacket and not be wearing a crop top in winter," Corinne chided, looking at the little bit of the green top that poked out of Zalyea's tiny pink jacket with disdain. The jacket only just covered her chest so there was little use in zipping it up.

"Whatever, mum," Zalyea said, walking over to a fallen tree and slumping down onto it. "I know that now, _gawwd_!"

Corinne rubbed her temples. "Breathe, Corinne," she whispered to herself.

"You're doing great, Cori," Tyler said, smiling at her. Why was he always so nice to her? It wasn't like she needed her huge ego beefing up anymore.

Corinne blushed slightly and then walked over to Alex, patting him on the back. Why did she have to treat him like a child as well? He was a whole month older than her!

A minute or two later when his stomach finally settled, Alex joined the others where they had gathered on a fallen tree nearby. "So, what's up?"

"Zalyea thinks we should play basketball." Len looked at Alex, his eyes clearly showing how he was resisting making the sarcastic remark that instantly popped into Alex's head.

"With what ball, idiot?" He laughed. "You think we're going to make a ball out of twigs or something?"

Zalyea stood up, storming towards him. "I'll use your head as a ball!"

"Settle down," Corinne said, looking up into the treetops. "You're disturbing the birds."

"Screw the birds," both of them shouted back.

Alex glared at her. How dare she steal his words. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Zalyea scowled and then clenched her fist, thumping it down on her other palm, which was flat.

This had been their way of solving their issues as long as they'd known each other. When they had enough sense to play instead of come to blows, it worked wonders with the loser being silenced for ten minutes. Alex mimicked her movement. "Rock." He brought his fist up and then back down on his hand. "Paper." Doing it again, he looked her in the eyes. This was tense. "Scissors!" He slammed down Rock and then looked at her hand.

Zalyea's first two fingers were stretched out, shaking. She looked at him, the hurt in her eyes was too real and too beautiful.

"Rock beats scissors." Alex thumped his hand onto her fingers. "I win."

"Juvenile," Corinne muttered. "Ty, you're in charge, why don't you ever stop them?"

Tyler looked up from the small notebook in his hand where he had been scribbling down something or other. Shrugging, he returned to his notebook and replied absentmindedly, "They will eventually tire. The ire caused by intervening is not justifiable."

Corinne looked at Len and then back at them. "Well, aren't you going to—?"

"Victory dance?" Alex grinned. "Hell yeah!" He jumped up and down and then danced around Zalyea, doing his best Robot moves. "I am the winner." He swapped to Egyptian dancing. "And you are the loser."

Zalyea clenched her fists, but all it did was make him smile wider.

"I am—"

"Enough!" Corinne exclaimed, rubbing her head. "Just…" she exhaled. "Sit down, will you both?"

Alex slumped onto a log next to Corinne. "So, what's hanging, cutie?"

"Taran still hasn't come out," Corinne said while tapping at her fuchsia pink phone. "And there's no signal. Unbelievable! It's 2600 and there's still areas without phone reception." She waved the phone, as if it prove it, and then slid it away into her pocket.

Alex rolled his eyes. Why did he have to do everything around here? "You guys just aren't doing it right. Lemme try!"

Tyler put his notebook away and glanced around at the forest with his wide blue-grey eyes. "It's quite unsanitary out here, isn't it?"

"It's a forest, Ty," Len said, allowing a small bug to crawl over his freckled hand. Len's penchant for nature bordered on serial killer in Alex's book. No one sane liked dirt that much.

"Kill that or I'll kill you," Tyler said, narrowing his bushy eyebrows.

Alex laughed as he heard Tyler and Len arguing behind him while he walked over to the back of the van. "Hey, Taran?"

No response.

"Taran?" He climbed in and withdrew his iHoloPhone. The small metal cuboid split into two, with both ends moving apart, as it registered his handprint and a blue holographic display was projected between the two. He loved the new fancy gadgets his parents bought him when they were actually home and not being reckless abandoners. Hitting the torch function, he unleashed a bright white light into the small space.

Taran was sat with his head in his knees, arms wrapped tightly around them, in the corner of the van. The two girls were strewn across the floor and sleeping peacefully. Rori had been knocked out and hadn't come round yet but Len assured them it's probably also partly due to exhaustion like with Aleena.

"Taran, buddy, come out and join us?" Alex crawled across the floor. "We're probably going to have a campfire and marshmallows soon." He beckoned with his hand. "Come on, everyone loves marshmallows."

Taran sniffed. "Don' wanna." Damn this kid was difficult.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Alex chirped, climbing carefully over Aleena. The phrase let sleeping dogs lie definitely applied to her. Although, she was a lot hotter than a dog. His mind wandered briefly onto Aleena's body before he remembered why he was there. "What if we play tag?" After this, he was almost out of options. Being an only child had its downsides too.

Looking up slightly, so one shiny brown eye was visible through his mussed up brown curls, he said, "Tag?"

Alex grinned. _Result!_ "I'm it, you know. So you might wanna get moving before I…" Alex moved closer, reaching out slowly. "Get you!" Alex grasped at the air.

Taran screamed, laughing, and ran past Alex to jump out of the van.

Alex grinned and jogged off after him. He had missed stuff like this being an only child, so even though he hated kids, this was kind of fun. He flicked off the torch on his iHoloPhone but paused when he saw the screen fizzing. The two metal cuboids snapped shut and Alex pocketed it. Something bad was up. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, he looked up. "Taran, wait up!" he called as the little boy ran through the sparse forest.

Taran stopped and stuck out his tongue, twiddling his hands by his head. "Nuh uh, you're just trying to trick me!"

Then to the right Alex spotted something. "TARAN!" Alex sprinted through the trees as the little boy stared back in shock.

CRASH! The trees clattered all over like dominoes as Alex leapt towards the brunet.

Grabbing onto Taran just before whatever it was reached him, Alex felt his heart thud against his chest a million times a second. He kept running as he heard the others shouting from a distance. They had obviously heard the crash.

"I'm scared!" Taran screamed.

Alex held the little boy close to his chest and looked back, withdrawing his Digivice. He looked at the strange creature that had destroyed the trees and crash landed right where Taran had been stood. He watched it carefully, noticing the little twinges that showed life. The burgundy feathers flickered slightly and the blue feet twitched. "Stay here until the others get here." Alex let go of Taran and walked slowly towards it.

Looking down at Felismon in his Digivice, he kept his finger on the release. She would still be able to fight if she had to. Felismon was tough. "Hello?" he called.

The beast's big black talons scraped at the ground and the avian groaned. It mumbled something and then its white head raised slowly, the broken branches that were previously perched on it rolled off and onto the ground.

Alex spotted the big black horns protruding from the top of its head and froze in his steps. This thing was not only huge, it could do some serious damage. His hand quivered, the finger on the release button tapping it too gently to activate it just yet. "Hello? Are you there?"

His Digivice buzzed and he saw data sprawl across the screen.

 _Aquilamon, Champion level, Data, Wind Guardians._

 _This Great Eagle of the Desert won't hesitate to blast you away with its Blast Rings attack._

There was something familiar about this Digimon though. He flicked on the torch on his phone, which was now working again, and then it became quickly apparent. It was the same one from New Zealand all that time ago, with that same big black mark on its right wing, like a scorch mark. "Do you…?" Alex paused. This was stupid. "Do you remember me?"

"You…" Aquilamon's yellow beak was scarred and its piercing blue eyes betrayed the great lifespan it had endured. "Are a chosen child."

"You're chosen?" Taran said. "For what?"

Alex spun. "I told you to stay back!" he snapped.

Taran frowned, stamping his foot. "But I thought I heard you say to come over." Taran crossed his arms and glared up. "Why are you lying?" He turned away in a huff and shouted, "That's mean!"

Alex sighed. He wasn't sure if Taran was hearing things or not but he had to know why this Digimon had appeared all that time ago. "A long time ago, you came out into this world and you asked me for help but you disappeared before I could talk to you. I need to know; why?"

Aquilamon slowly lifted its body up to a resting position, displacing the leaves that were matted into its plumage. Its feathers were tattered and the deep scars across its body were evident of a life pitted with battles. "You are the same child from then?" Aquilamon smirked. "I see; this is fate. I didn't know back then for sure, but now I can feel it."

"Al, what's going on?" Corinne called from a distance. "We're coming!"

"Wait!" Alex yelled. And then he turned to Aquilamon. "Please, tell me."

"You are one of them. A chosen child of the Digital World. But, the feeling back when I first found you was weaker." Aquilamon narrowed its eyes. "Like a candle flickering in the wind. But now…" Aquilamon looked up above and then back down. "A raging sun burns in you."

"In me?" Alex looked down at his hands. He had often wished he was special, from his days of watching superhero programmes as a kid. After he had gotten Felismon, he had thought that was it but it turned out there was still more for him to do. To leave his mark. "What do I need to do?"

Aquilamon checked its wings carefully, preening them briefly with its beak. "Are you aware that there are some who came before you?"

"I know I'm not the first human to have a Digivice, if that's what you mean?" Alex looked down at his Digivice. These were actually comparatively common and would be more so if it weren't for RODAF.

Aquilamon slowly shook its head, tucking the wings into its body. "Those paltry toys given out by the dolls of Gennai do not mean what they once did. Now it is harder to discern, but a chosen's heart is different… Unfathomable light and warmth is what you feel when you are in their presence." Aquilamon smiled fondly, falling silent.

Shaking its head, Aquilamon seemed to wake from a daydream. "I apologise for my ramblings. Anyway, a long time before you, there was a crisis in my world—the digital world—and only five children were able to stop it."

This was really beginning to drag. On TV it was over by now. "What does this have to do with you asking for help?"

"Patience!" The huge bird Digimon snapped. "I'm sure your history books will tell of a time where there was a war on those chosen to bond with Digimon and that afterwards the great peace we had known fell asunder."

"Are you on about the Kamiya War? But that was because those eleven people were terrorists and were using their Digimon to kill others."

Aquilamon laughed loud and hard. "Yolei couldn't kill even when her life was put at risk. And as for the others, I know they are also free from bloodshed. Chosen children are so chosen because of their pure hearts. The bond you make with a Digimon is made primarily through that purity." Aquilamon shifted, the white feathers at the edges of its wings fluttering in a gentle breeze that passed through the trees. "Back to the matter at hand, the reason my partner and her friends were chosen was because of a crisis in my world. There is a similar crisis now and that is why we need help. Sadly, those eleven are not all around anymore and us, their Digimon are now relics of the past." Aquilamon lifted its right wing, holding out the scorch mark on it. "My body is no longer capable of fighting many." And then it looked down at the marks across its body before resting that ancient gaze back onto Alex. "But, you and your partner can help."

"It's here." Aquilamon glanced around and saw a Digital Portal slowly coming towards her.

Alex's phone snapped closed again. That portal was obviously screwing with electricals. "Wait, they're still alive? The chosen children of six hundred years ago?"

"When I am dragged back, the distortion caused will make the connection briefly strong enough for you to speak to them. To the originals. Please take this chance and help us. You are the only ones who can."

"Alex!" The others yelled as they clambered over the trees.

Alex looked back at the big bird, stepping towards Aquilamon. "Wait, what's the crisis?"

Aquilamon smiled as the portal sucked her in. "Use this chance." And then she and the portal were gone in their entirety, leaving nothing but a stream of crushed bark and leaves behind.

Corinne ran up to Alex, stopping sharply in front of him with a stern expression that quickly softened. "Alex, what happened? Are you okay?" She looked down at Taran and grabbed hold of the boy, checking him over. "You brought him towards some crazy Digimon attack!?" Looking at his hands and then back at Alex she said, "It's okay, don't worry, Taran."

"I'm fine," Taran whispered meekly. He was staring where the portal had been, dumbstruck.

Alex pulled out his Digivice and hit the Disguise button, turning it into a red phone. "Just be quiet."

"Alex, this was serious!" Corinne yelled. She stood up, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "You or Taran could have gotten hurt!"

"I got hurt?" Taran said, looking up and frowning.

Corinne shook her head and looked back at him, her delicate features becoming soft again. "No, sweetie, it's fine."

"Al, what happened?" Tyler asked, out of breath as he stopped. He doubled over, placing his hands on his dark brown shorts and looked up through the dyed red curtains of hair that hung in front of his eyes.

"Yo, what'd you do?" Zalyea said, laughing as she reached them. "I wish Gaimon could see how stupid you look now, she'd laugh so hard." Puffing out air, she laughed again. The time limit for that idiot being quiet had already run out.

Alex hit the call button but nothing happened. He didn't have long if what Aquilamon said was true. It was now or never. Hero or bust. "Just help me!" he snapped.

Len walked over calmly and placed a comforting hand on Alex's arm. "How can we help?" Len always found a way to be there when he was needed.

Alex growled. "I need to call someone and it isn't working!" He raised his arm to throw the Digivice but stopped himself when he thought about losing Felismon.

"There's no signal, idiot," Zalyea said, snickering.

"I know that!" He shot her a fierce look. His patience was all but gone with her.

Tyler stood up, still panting, and took the Digivice. "Whom is it you are calling?"

"I don't know!" Alex yelled, distressed.

"Then how can we help you?" Corinne said, sighing. "Don't cry wolf, Alex. It's a childhood's fable."

Electing to ignore Corinne, he turned to Tyler. "Please, Ty. I think it's important," Alex said, grabbing the other boy's arms firmly and looking him in his tired blue eyes. "Please."

Tyler withdrew his own Digivice and hit the disguise button, turning it into a similar phone to Alex's Digivice. He held the two together and began to tap buttons on both.

Alex watched him, terrified. He was running out of time. What on earth was Tyler doing!?

"There. That number doesn't correlate with any of our Digivice codes so it must be new." Tyler hit call and held it out to Alex.

Alex took it and grinned. "I could kiss you!"

"Please refrain," Tyler said, holding up a hand. He looked to Corinne, confused, and she sighed.

Corinne placed her hands on her hips. "Well, what's all the fuss about?"

Alex held it to his ear and it fizzed loudly and then clicked.

"Hello?" A female voice said. They sounded so old and definitely not attractive.

Another voice in the background. It sounded kind of male but it could just be an old bat who smoked a lot when she was young. "Aquilamon did it?"

"I'm not sure yet, Cody," the first voice replied. So the one in the background was a guy. The female voice yelled into the phone, "Hey, you there!?"

Alex was stunned. "I—" He looked around at the others. "I'm here."

"Put it on speaker," Zalyea said quietly, coming closer. She had now gave up on annoying him, how typical.

Taran looked up. "I wanna hear too! Pretty please!"

Alex hit the speaker button. "Aquilamon said to—"

"Shut up. We don't have long." The first female voice snapped. Well, she was direct at least. Alex had to admire that in a girl. "You have to get to the Digital World as soon as you can."

"We are there frequently. What's up?" Tyler asked. It was true. They had been almost every weekend since they had gotten their Digivices.

"Who's that?"

"You're on speaker with my friends," Alex said.

"Well, that's rude." The voice whispered inaudibly and then came back to the phone. "We probably only have another ten seconds. I want you to know that we are alive and we need your help. Find Gennai; he can help. Our co-ordinates are 32, 64, 112. You have to—!" The phone cut off abruptly and they were all left in silence.

"Okay, I'm going to need an explanation," Zalyea said, stepping back.

Tyler hit the transform button on his Digivice and pocketed it. "Al?"

Alex stared at the phone, wanting more. He needed an explanation. A reason! Turning it back into a Digivice, he sighed. "I'm not sure myself." He looked at Corinne as she tapped on her phone. "Hey, cutie," he chirped. Alex got angry when she didn't respond. "You're being rude!"

"I'm saving the co-ordinates to my phone," she mumbled and then looked up. "Who was she, Al?"

"No need to be jealous," Alex said, winking.

"Al, no time for jokes," Len interjected.

"I think she was one of the original twelve who died in the Kamiya War." Alex felt like an idiot saying it but there was no other explanation right now.

Everyone looked down, freezing. Corinne was the first to speak. "But, they're dead."

"This some spooky business. I don't want nothin' to do with it," Zalyea said, throwing her hands up.

"I'm scared of ghosts." Taran gripped Corinne tightly.

"A Digimon came through and said she was the partner of Yolei. Yolei Inoue is the exact name of one of them. I remember that for sure."

Zalyea snorted and said, "Yo, you actually paid attention in history? What a snooze fest."

"He's right, but it could just be a coincidence," Len said, placing his hand on his chin and looking down. He was clearly deep in thought.

Tyler shook his head. "Only two deaths were confirmed. Izzy Izumi and Tai Kamiya. Two others, Kari Kamiya and Sora Takenouchi have enough witnesses to also assume they died too. However, that leaves eight bodies unaccounted for. This is including Yolei Inoue."

"No, I was taught they were all buried in disgrace, Ty." Corinne sighed. "You must be thinking of someone else."

Tyler shook his head. "You are all aware I sometimes hack computers. A while back, when I was just a neophyte hacker, a friend of mine set me a challenge to breach a government database for a sizable monetary compensation. It was just before the Japan trip and we really needed money so I made a solid attempt and encountered files pertaining to the Kamiya War."

Alex felt a little uncertain about hearing this. And he really wanted to get on and help whoever it was while they could. All his life, he was sure there was something important he had to do and maybe this was it.

Tyler gazed around at them awkwardly. What he was admitting to was high treason, as well as numerous other offences, and he seemed uncomfortable about sharing it with them. "Well, the official files only include four death certificates. There's also reports of several attempts to find the others before they were announced as dead." Tyler sighed. "I say friend, but they're a hacking acquaintance." He played with his fingers awkwardly. "I've never met them in person or even heard their voice before, and shortly after this first trial they set me another challenge but with no reward." He paused and looked at Corinne, his eyes sullen as her judgemental look bore into him. "So, initially, I was reluctant. But, after the first batch, I was curious and I found a few files on the Valiant War although lots of them were inaccessible to me at that point."

"Tyler, get to the point!" Zalyea yelled, sighing. "We ain't got all day."

Tyler nodded. "In the Valiant War, only five Digimon partners of the chosen twelve were confirmed to have died. Agumon, Gabumon, Gomamon, Tentomon and Patamon." Tyler paused. "The amount of variables here is immeasurable but there is room for some uncertainty as to the biased history we have been taught. After all, history is not written by the losers."

Alex looked at him, contorting his face as he tried to work out what to think or say. "So you're saying there's a chance?"

Tyler nodded. "There's a possibility that was _the_ Yolei Inoue and that she needs our assistance."

Alex grinned. This was it! "So, let's help her. We have the co-ordinates and we can go now—"

"Alex…" Corinne said slowly, reaching out to touch him.

He spun to look at her. "If we help them, then we'll finally do what we were meant to do. No more playing about! I knew we got these Digivices for a reason!"

"Did they say anything else, Alex?" Tyler asked, looking at Corinne awkwardly.

"Aquilamon also said that when I was little, I was like a little candle but now I'm a sun." He winked at Corinne. "Pretty awesome, right?" And then his excited gaze spun back to Tyler. "So, this means I am destined to help, right?" It was the only explanation.

Tyler tapped his chin, thinking. "Between now and then, what's changed? You received a Digivice."

Alex opened his mouth to tell Tyler what Aquilamon had said but Tyler spoke first.

"But lots of people have them. I suppose you have Felismon too, but the same applies." He was so smart to work that out. Tyler grinned, a lightbulb seeming to come on in his head. "Was Taran with you?"

Alex looked down at Taran. What was Tyler suggesting? "Well, yeah, but… What does that have to do with me?"

"I was here!" Taran chimed, waving.

Corinne groaned and shot Tyler a vicious gaze. "Tyler, stop it." What was she on about?

Tyler sighed. "Alex, we have to take Taran home. We already have our orders." Tyler shoved his hands into his brown shorts. "There's nothing further we can do."

Alex clenched his fists. This wasn't fair. "But this is more important!"

"Alex, we don't even know if this is real!" Corinne yelled.

"Alex, she's right," Ty added. "We must remain realistic and fulfil our promise. Taran is just a child. He should go home. And what about Aleena and Rori? Do we just leave them alone while we go to the Digital World?"

Alex growled and tugged at his hair. They didn't get it! "No, this isn't right! If we wait then we'll miss our chance! What if they can explain why all that bad stuff in the past happened and make it right? Then we can have our Digimon with us all the time! Everyone can have a Digimon and be happy!" Clenching his eyes shut as tears gathered in them, he tried to fight the urge to cry.

Tyler sighed. "Alex, I understand you're upset but—"

"No, you don't!" Tyler never understood him. All he did was boss them about. "Those are _your_ orders! _I_ want to do this!"

"Alexander! Listen to me: we are not doing what you want!" Tyler yelled, locking eyes with him.

And then Alex saw a flash of red and he was stood above Tyler. His blood was pumping and his fist was wet. The blood pounded against his head like a steel drum and he felt dizzy. Everyone was yelling but he couldn't make it out.

Tyler looked at him, touching his cheek while blood dribbled down his chin from the bust lip. Had someone hit him? Where were they? Why was no one stopping them? Then Alex realised. The way Tyler was looking at him. That look of fear and anger. It had been Alex that had punched him.

Corinne came in front of him, yelling, and pushing him but he couldn't make any of it out and then all that blood seemed to disappear and he felt himself falling.

~.~.~

"I miss my mummy," Taran whispered, his eyes watering.

Len looked over at Alex as Corinne checked him over and then back at Tyler. "It doesn't look too bad," he muttered, looking at the bleeding lip carefully. "Zalyea, can you go get the first aid kit from the van?"

Zalyea grumbled, "Ima knock him back out when he wakes back up."

"Zalyea," Len repeated firmly. "I need some sterilization spray. Getting it infected out here would be too easy."

Zalyea sighed. "On my way." Running off, she left them alone.

"Tyler, you shouldn't goad him like that. You know he has a short fuse." Len withdrew a tissue from his pocket and tapped Tyler's lip as the older boy winced.

"You're right. I deserved it." Tyler shook his head. "Maybe we could complete his thing expeditiously?"

Len shook his head. "Even with hoping the time in the Digital World is still at an abundance compared to here, we wouldn't have time." Tyler had a habit of always talking himself down. In truth, he had never truly wanted to be their leader or believed in himself since he had become it. "We'll get you cleaned up and get back on the road and I'm sure Al will apologise."

Len held out the tissue to Tyler, who took it gratefully. "How is he, Cori?" Len called, standing up.

"The idiot is fine. Help me carry him back, Len." Corinne stood up and rubbed her head. "This trip is giving me such a headache. I'll be glad when it's over."

Taran began to cry and Len could see Corinne, despite her kindness and patience, was close to snapping. It was probably in a large part due to how little sleep she had actually had.

Len walked over and placed his fingers on Taran's nose. He pulled his hand away and kept his thumb poking out between his knuckles. "I got your nose."

Taran shook his head, crying. "I'm not stupid!"

Reaching into his pocket, Len rooted about. "I know you're not. You probably just need to hear what I'm saying." Len reached behind Taran's ear and then withdrew a coin he had taken from his pocket. "I think if we take this out then that'll probably help, what do you think?"

Taran looked at him slowly, sniffling.

Len held out the coin, grinning. It was nice to do something like this. It reminded him of Sorall and Aiko.

Taran grabbed the coin, a grin spreading across his little chubby face. "Can I keep it?" He looked at Len with his eyes wide. It was adorable really, how simple he was. He was definitely more like Sorall than Aiko.

Len laughed and ruffled his hair. "Sure." Standing up, he held out his hand for Taran to hold. "Come on, let's go back with the others."

Len walked over to Alex, Taran in tow and helped Corinne lift the brunet, one arm on each of their shoulders' and then they began to walk back. "Ty, come on," Len called. "Taran, stay where I can see you."

Taran nodded happily, holding the coin in his hands and thumbing it over. "I wonder what I can buy with this."

Len smirked. Probably a can of pop if he was lucky.

Tyler stood up, dabbing his lip and looking at the tissue. "Coming."

As they got back, Zalyea was sat on the ground with the first aid kit sprawled out in front of her. "I'm fixing it!" she yelled, shoving it all back into the box. Tyler would be fine without sterilization spray, especially now it'd need cleaning before actually applying it.

Len snickered. She was his closest friend and yet she always managed to surprise him. "It's fine. Ty's okay. Right, Ty?"

Tyler nodded, lifting the tissue away from his lip, which had almost stopped bleeding. "I'll survive." He kept walking towards the back of the truck. "Let's get a move on or we'll be late."

"Just put it in the glovebox, Zalyea," Len said, carrying Alex after Tyler with Corinne.

Everyone bundled into the back until just Corinne and Len were stood outside. Corinne looked to him, yawning. "You getting in?"

Stretching, Len saw the bags under Corinne's droopy eyelids. "It's just a short drive now, right?"

Corrine nodded, yawning. "Yeah, I just need two minutes to sleep then we can…" Her eyes closed and she slumped down against the truck, breathing lightly as a smile spread across her face. Corinne slid down onto the ground, resting against the huge dirty wheel. She rubbed it gently. Even someone as mentally strong as her could only go on for so long.

"Len, you drive." Tyler clambered out of the truck and lifted Corinne back in with him. "It'll be fine for a little while anyway."

Len climbed into the driver's compartment and peered over his shoulder at everyone. "We're setting off again."

"Yo, we only stopped for a minute," Zalyea grumbled. "I was hoping we could play cards or something."

"Zalyea," Tyler said tiredly.

"Whatever," Zalyea replied. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Len nodded and started to drive cautiously through the forest.

Eventually, he pulled onto the road and began to look for other cars but the roads around Sabhailte were still deserted after Lobo and Raposo's fight. No one wanted to come here now and those that lived there were presumably still in the evacuation camps while the city was repaired. Len was glad of how quiet it was; he mostly only knew how to drive in theory, with his only practice a smattering of times while with The Resistance in similar situations.

Zalyea didn't wait long before speaking again, seeming to be full of energy. "Hey, Ty, you been quiet."

"I'm pondering the status of Raposo—the frequency of the times I reimagine the events hasn't led me to working out the causation between them."

Len was no longer able to hold in the burning question on his mind and now Aleena, Talmon, Rori and Taran were asleep, he was sure it was safe to ask it. "Are we sure that having the ex-RODAF members on our team is beneficial?"

"Len, what's troubling you?" asked Tyler.

"I believe the trouble they might cause might be more than we can handle." Len felt incredibly guilty saying it out loud but it was beginning to niggle away at him, and that was the last thing he needed. "In the short time we've known them, we've had someone fight for us and die, because of them. I'm not sure I want more deaths on my conscience." He breathed out and then bit his lip as he waited with bated breath for the reply.

"We will endeavour to increase our strength, then, Len," Tyler said. "Would you mind speeding up? I would rather not be late."

"Yeah, sure," Len said, not noticing that he was going so slowly. With no other cars around, there was no reason to curb his speed so he stamped his foot down onto the accelerator.

And then Len felt the hard leather of the steering wheel against his head and the hot blood that trickled down.

* * *

 **Oh my god. I had soooo much trouble uploading this. I had to copy and paste it, try it in both .doc and .docx, make a new file and copy and paste. Delete some old files from my doc manager and then in the end I finally managed to get the copy and paste to work. At least, I hope it worked okay. Also massive sorry that with the rewrite it stands at over 7000 words. If you managed it, then well done, here's a cookie!**

 **Yolei and Cody still alive? But wouldn't that make them around 600 years old? And is that our snotty little Hawkmon or an impostor? Will Alex and Tyler be able to mend things? Where's Gen'nai? All will be revealed.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	26. Chapter 25: A Favour

Screaming. Crying. The smoke. That acrid smoke. It was all over—even in his lungs. Inhaling sharply, Len opened his eyes and saw the wheel in his face. "Guys?" he called, afraid to move. No response. He tried to move his toes and felt the inside of his shoes. So he could walk, at least. Sitting back slowly, he tried to move his arms and then turned his neck slowly to look for the others but was shocked to see nothing. There was no back compartment. It had been torn off entirely. Instead, he was looking up at the sky. That meant that the driver's compartment was facing the ground. Looking at the broken glass all around his face, he noted that whatever had done this had really hit the car hard.

Touching his forehead, Len felt warm sticky liquid. He lifted his fingertips away and saw the blood. It almost made him feel woozy. He was always fine when he was training in the junior paramedics, but this was something different. It was _his_ blood. "What… what's going on?" Looking down at his leg, he noticed a large shard of glass sticking out and then a wave of pain flew up from his leg, making him almost delirious. Screaming in agony, he breathed through gritted teeth as he reached for the passenger's compartment.

Len flicked it open and pulled the driver's manual out, dropping it onto the tarmac below, and grabbed the small first aid kit underneath. It was pure luck he had put it in there after Zalyea had dropped it all over the place, but he was glad he did. Shakily, Len took out a bandage and undid it slightly. Holding the bandage in his teeth, he pulled his sleeves down and gripped onto the shard of glass. Len breathed in and out rapidly, terrified. Better now than never. He bit his teeth hard together and clamped his eyes shut and then tugged. Blood gushed from the wound and he began to feel a little dizzy but managed to wrap the bandage around his leg quickly enough to stem the flow of red liquid.

Leaning his head back in mild relief, he tightened the bandage with a grimace and placed the rest of it back into the kit. It wasn't a permanent solution but it would hold until they got to a hospital. Len peered back over his shoulder and then slowly climbed around the seat, undoing his seatbelt as he went. He reached back and grabbed the first aid kit—it would probably be useful—and then clambered on top of the back of his seat. Looking around for anyone, anything, he could see nothing but smoke. That dark grey smog clouded his vision in every direction, threatening to suffocate him if he gave it half a chance. He was going to have to get lower.

Carefully, Len leapt from the compartment and onto the fire-covered road. His lungs were burning but he could hear screaming everywhere and he knew it was more important to go and find his friends.

"Tyler?" Len coughed and gazed around. He spotted Alex on the ground and ran over, limping slightly, to feel his pulse. "Zalyea? Corinne?" he yelled, looking around. Through all the stress, he couldn't feel a radial pulse and immediately placed his head onto Alex's chest.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. Alex was obviously knocked out and it was unknown if there was any trauma that wasn't so visible. "Alex, wake up!" he slapped the injured brunet gently with the back of his hand but he didn't respond. "Dammit." Len looked around for help and then spotted something strange. It was a large black object amongst the smoke. A rock? That would explain the damage if it was that big but how had it appeared so suddenly? A landslide? Unlikely.

 _"I was sent here to deliver a warning."_ The voice was powerful and ominous, sending shivers down his spine.

Len looked around rapidly, trying to find out where the voice had come from.

Len abruptly realised the source. It was that black thing. _"I apologise for the boisterous nature of my arrival."_ The sound resonated in Len's chest, like a deep bass from powerful speakers.

"What are you?" Len yelled, dropping the first aid box and withdrawing his Digivice as the being advanced through the smoke. The Digivice flashed up.

 _[C]Dobermon, Champion level, Vaccine/Virus, Nightmare Soldiers, Nature Spirits_

 _Its Grey Noise attack will drown out your chances of escaping with your life._

"Dobermon aren't usually that big…" Len looked around again for his friends and then back at the Dobermon as it became visible. "What are you?"

 _"I was sent here to deliver a warning. The path you are on is a perilous one."_

That C meant this was a reprieve Digimon but who around here could it be connected to? "Who by?" Len almost forgot for a second that this evil Digimon caused his crash. "Wait, why did you do that to us?"

 _"The Digital World is facing an old enemy reborn. A cursed beast that takes any that face it to the grave with it. The firewall is failing."_ What was it on about? A wall of fire falling from the sky? Maybe a Birdramon? Dobermon stopped in front of Len, towering over him and looking down. It was a little terrifying to say the least but he did everything he could to stop himself from wavering in his pursuit for answers. The adrenaline pounding through his blood just about helped him to keep moving forwards.

Then Len noticed something strange. Up on its back was a figure. Was that a human? Wait, was it the one who had reprieved him? How hadn't they woken up? "What's that up there?"

 _"It is my partner. We are assimilated."_

"Assimilated?" What on earth was it on about? "Is that even possible?"

 _"My partner fell into a coma from which they will never awake. But when we are one, we can feel each other. The link is not perfect, but it will suffice. Whilst we—and their reprieved Digimon I absorbed—are together, I gained special abilities, including my different size."_

"Different is an understatement…" Len muttered. "So, you did all this just to warn us?" Len felt himself becoming a little bit angry. "That's not okay! These are my friends!"

 _"You are on a path from which you must not continue on, my speaking to you was crucial in preventing baseless loss of life. However, Gennai insisted that I relayed this message to you forthwith: You must not intervene in the problems of the Digital World."_ Dobermon lifted its head, looking around and then back at Len. _"I will repair the damage which I have done. I just ask that you heed my warning and leave only the destined one to engage the beast."_

"Destined… Like Digidestined?" Len asked.

Dobermon fell silent and lowered its head towards Len. Was it going to eat him? Cocking its head to the side, Dobermon said, _"I suppose so."_

As they had been told frequently, that was them. "We, me and my friends, are all Digidestined."

Turning away and beginning to walk back through the flames, it spoke loudly, _"Then may it have mercy on you whenst you fall. I will alert Gennai of this but my advice still stands: only certain death awaits ahead."_

"Wait! What about my friends?" Len yelled. "You can't just leave us!" There was no way he could live with being behind the wheel when this happened to them.

 _"I have no intention of leaving you anywhere."_ The smoke was pushed away abruptly by an invisible force, forming a thick ring around the area. A blue sparkling mist swirled outwards from Dobermon's body. Slowly, the mist put out the flames from the destroyed vehicle, and the injured bodies of everyone were revealed and then when it passed over each of them, they began to stir. This was almost a work of magic. As it touched him, Len felt the pain from his leg fade away. Len had never seen a Digimon do anything even remotely like this. Was this the maximum power of a Reprieved Digimon? The Valiant War must have been terrifying.

Len turned back to Alex and saw his eyelids flutter. He was glad that his stubborn friend was okay. "Can I ask a favour?" Len yelled.

 _"If you are destined to die, it would be foolish not to grant you a favour. A dead man is a dangerous man."_ Dobermon turned its head back. _"What will it be?"_  
Len thought about it. Was this just a crazy thing to ask?

 _"I do not have time to waste. The thirteen are awakening."_

It was worth a shot. Dobermon had already performed miracles. "Can you take us somewhere? You destroyed our only method of transportation."

Dobermon shook its head, making a low spine shaking sound—akin to laughter—rattling the metal collar against its spiny body, and then smirked. _"Close your eyes and when you open them. You'll be there. Your friends too."_ Dobermon flickered and then disappeared.

Nodding, Len resolved to do as he was told and closed his eyes. Wind blew past his face and his stomach felt like it was tied in knots and then when he opened them, he was in a strange bright place. It looked like it was much later in the evening, instead of the afternoon, and there was lush green grass everywhere. He felt completely disorientated after the previous scenery.

And then Alex fell on top of him while a loud scream pierced the air. Len threw up and the sick splashed back onto his face.

Alex laughed. "Now we can tell funny stories about you instead!"

"Who are you? I'm calling the police!" A woman wearing a pink shirt with rolled up sleeves waved a trowel about and stamped in the grass in her muddy brown wellington boots. Where on earth were they? It wasn't even the same time of day or weather.

"We're here with Taran Adené!" Len protested, hoping that Dobermon had taken them to the right place. This certainly wasn't the drop off place he was expecting in the neighbouring town of Wellingborough. His head was throbbing. It felt like he had been on a rollercoaster.

The woman shook her head, pointing the trowel at them. "That's impossible. No one named Taran lives here."

"That'll be all, Celia." It was a male voice, one with proper enunciation and clear vowels. A man in a black suit walked across the grass with his arms clasped behind his back. There wasn't a single speck of dirt on him and his brown hair was neatly combed into a side parting.

He stopped in front of them, his unblemished face looking down at them with slight disdain. "You're covered in..." Turning up his nose, he scowled. "Bodily fluids." He looked around. "Where is my son? And, why, exactly, did you elect not to use the transportation I so graciously provided for you people at my own expense?"  
Footsteps. Len got up to see Tyler and the others walking from elsewhere in the garden towards them.

"Your son is present, Mr Adene." Tyler placed a hand on Taran's back, pushing him forwards a little before holding out a hand to Len.

Alex rolled off and got to his feet. "Got anything to eat?"

"Thank you," Len said as Tyler helped him up, careful to avoid opening his mouth too wide. The bitter taste hanging in his mouth was revolting and the smell wasn't much better.

The man rolled his eyes at Alex's request and then glanced at Taran before looking back at Alex. "There will be food provided." The red pocket square added a splash of colour to his outfit but something was off about this man.

Corinne politely asked, "May we rest briefly inside, please?"

"I'll be in my quarters. Assure that my son is presented promptly. I have no time for trivialities." And with that, he left quickly back to the huge mansion up ahead. Why did he seem so short when he had come to them with this request and they had now fulfilled it? Was he just rude or was there something more?

"This doesn't look like Taran's home," Aleena said while repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist. "My hand's better, now, I guess."

"I'm scared," Taran muttered, he gripped onto Aleena's hand, squeezing it hard.  
"You're home now, it's okay," Rori chirped, bouncing off towards the house. "I hope they have dragon fruit."

"Wait up, cutie!" Alex yelled, running off after her. Had Alex already forgotten his spat with Tyler and wanting to go the Digital World?

"What happened?" Tyler stood in front of Len and folded his arms.  
Len looked into Tyler's blue eyes as the quickly darkening sun shone into them, lighting up the various shades of blue in his iris. It was best to tell them when they were all sat down. "I'll explain inside."

"Yo, you're a mess," Zalyea said, laughing with Gaimon.

"Cleaning yourself up wouldn't be a bad idea, Len," Corinne said, smiling. "Let's head inside."

~.~.~

The last thing Aleena could remember was Cory and now she was somewhere entirely else. While the others had been briefly helpful in filling in the blanks, she still felt really uneasy. It was like she was missing something important. Dismissing it, she began to walk after the others, along the white bricked path.

"Aleena?"

Aleena turned and looked back at Taran's bright brown eyes. "What?"

Taran whispered, his head low and his brown eyes sullen, "I don't want to be here." Taran looked around, tears forming in his eyes. "This isn't my home. I want to go home now, please."

Tyler called, from the doors, "Is everything okay?" He began to walk towards them.

Taran grabbed her hand. "Don't tell him," he pleaded.

Aleena watched him. That fear in his eyes was so very real and vulnerable. Winking, she looked back at Tyler. "It's okay, he just has a stomach ache."

"Perhaps he consumed too much earlier," Tyler said, stopping next to them. "Shall we?"

They followed the others, being led by a stoic red-haired man in a butler's suit, into one of the ground floor rooms. A long mahogany table adorned with two large candles and a long white strip of fabric down the middle sat central in the small room while ornaments surrounded them on every side. The butler walked over to the window at the bottom end of the table and drew the blinds as the sun began to set. The iron chandelier—electric powered, of course—quickly replaced the light lost, filling the room with a warm yellow glow. The butler nodded, bowing slightly and then left, closing the doors behind him and leaving them all alone.

"I'm going to ask if I can clean myself up, somewhere," Len said, leaving quickly. He could be heard calling after the butler politely in the reverberant grand entrance hall and then everyone was stood in silence.

Alex was looking at Tyler, fury in his eyes and his eyebrow furrowed while, unbeknownst to him, Corinne looked at him with a softer, more caring expression.

"So, should we eat?" Rori said, walking over slowly and sitting down.

Aleena knew it. Something had happened while she had been out of action. Sitting down at the bottom of the table, she allowed Taran and Talmon to sit either side of her. Slowly, Tyler sat down at the head of the table and then Alex and Corinne sat either side of him. Zalyea slumped down across from Rori, next to Taran, and picked up a sandwich. She gagged and placed it down, plucking its contents apart. "Yo, why do they put this green stuff in here?"  
"Lettuce." Rori took the vegetable and ate it, grinning happily.

"You actually like those?" Zalyea shook her head. "They taste like toe jam." She curled up her lips as she watched Rori eat. "Blergh!"

All of them were truly ordinary children. She had no part in all of this and, if she left now, then perhaps she could just go and live in the Digital World with Tal. It would also mean she didn't have to find a way to take Taran home, this was the easiest solution. Standing up, she prepared to leave.

"Ty, after this we _need_ to help them." Alex's words intrigued her as he looked at Tyler, having not touched any food. He was acting strange indeed.

Aleena sat back down, looking at Talmon, who smiled back.

"Are you alright?" He wrapped an ear around her.

"Yeah, you don't need to touch me too much," Aleena hissed, relaxing when the ear slipped away from her. Right now, she just wanted to be alone but her current situation wouldn't allow this.

"Alex, we don't even know if that was really who it is you're stipulating it is." Tyler rubbed his head. Tiredly, he asked, "Can we please just have a break first?"

Len walked in, rubbing his dark wet hair with a white towel, monogrammed with golden letters. "You're still on about that Alex?" He walked over and took the remaining seat at the table.

"Of course I am!" Alex snapped, thumping the table with both hands.

Len sighed. "That same Gennai guy who is supposed to help us sent a message warning us not to get involved." He rubbed his ears fervently, trying to get the water out of one and then the other.

"Wait… what?" Alex asked, his fists slowly unclenching as he turned to look at Len. They snapped back tight. "Prove it!"

Len hung the soggy towel over the chair he was sat on. "That crash we were involved in. A huge Dobermon caused it. He basically told me that some crazy beast that kills everyone it meets is going to be released and that we should stay away."

"Yo, I don't wanna die." Zalyea flicked another piece of lettuce out of a sandwich and screwed up her face in disgust. "Although if I find anymore nasty stuff, I may die anyway."

"I don't believe you." Alex's brown eyes were darker than normal and his eyebrows were narrowed. "You're lying." The second word carried so much venom that Aleena was almost impressed.

Len looked at Alex, his face gentle and unreadable as always. That was the strangest part about him. Aleena could not work him out, even with all of her training in that area. "Alex, when have I ever lied to you?" Len's voice was soft and approachable and he smiled all the while.  
Alex opened his mouth and then paused, slumping back into his chair silently and folding his arms. Chuntering under his breath, Alex didn't look up.

"Alex?" Len continued to look at him, his tone kind and patient. "Or even been cruel to you?"

Alex looked away, scowling, and grumbled, "Never."

"So, why would I start now?" Len stood up, walking over to him, kneeling down and facing him. When Alex tried to look away, Len grabbed his hands, looking still at his face. "Look at me, Alex."

Alex turned to face him but continued to look down at the wooden, self-cleaning floor, which had already sucked up the cucumbers Zalyea had dropped onto it a second ago. "I don't wanna."

A little more aggressively, Len asked, "Well?"

Alex grumbled under his breath and pulled his arms free. "Whatever."

Len sighed and got up, walking back to his seat. "They have this amazing machine that washed and dried my clothes in like a minute. It was insane!" And back to the banalities of life. For a brief moment, she had been interested in this crazy beast.

And then Alex's Digivice began to beep incessantly, flashing.

Aleena felt her vision swap to that of a blood-spattered body and then her hands were bloody, dripping with the gooey warm liquid as she looked them over. Then it was gone and she felt her heart racing. The beeping pounded into her head like a drill, threatening to drag her further into the pit of insanity these flashbacks were taking her to. "Is anyone going to get that?" she snapped.

Tyler grabbed the Digivice, looking at it.

 _Facial Recognition._

A blue light erupted from the screen, going slowly across Tyler's facial features and then it projected a grid onto his face.

 _Loading… Tyler Remmie. Activate Video Link._

A brighter pale blue light projected on Tyler's face, blinding him. Tyler squinted, placing it flat on the table and blinking rapidly to presumably rid his eyes of the spots that light had caused. A figure stood in the blue cone of light. A hologram. "Corinne, get the lights."

Corinne nodded at Tyler's request, getting up and flicking off the lights. As she walked past Alex, and saw him still scowling, she shot him a stern look. She was like a mother hen to these children.

"Hogwash and Pimpernels. I reached you!" The little blue Gimi laughed and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Gimi? I presume there is something wrong." Tyler leaned closer, his eyes trained on the little blue figure.

"Leomon." Gimi nodded as he saw their faces at the mention. Aleena had no idea what was happening but she realised that a Leomon had arrived after she passed out. Gimi hung his head. Had he killed one of their Digimon?

"Yo, out with it!" Zalyea snapped.

"He was smash-diddly-ashed by RODAF, and he has been taken." Gimi produced a tissue, wiping his eyes and then tossed it into the air out of sight of the hologram.

Aleena knew what this meant. He was being experimented on. So when Alphamon had said her people had been infecting his… that meant RODAF was undergoing a secret war with the Digital World. She felt so stupid for not realising sooner.

"They're doing experiments on Digimon!" Rori exclaimed in shock. "Does that mean?" She looked to Aleena and then Gimi. Rori shook her head and looked down. "I can't believe I helped them." Tears formed in her eyes; she was ever quick to be emotional about everything but the question remained: how did she know about this too?  
"Subterfuge. I can only theorise their intent but I presume it's malicious," Tyler announced.

"Maybe it's to do with that beast!" Alex exclaimed.

Everyone looked at him. "Well, it could be!" Alex said, his eyes wide and a grin on his face. "So, I was right!" He thumped his chest. "Yet again!"

"Yo, you still banging on about that?" Zalyea rolled her eyes. "Get over it."

Alex growled, leaping across the table at Zalyea and sending food and drinks skirting outwards. In an instant, he had snapped. "I hate you!" he yelled.

Everyone leapt up, avoiding the mess as the floor scurried to clean it up via powerful focussed suction.

Corinne stood in front of Zalyea, holding her arms out as Alex got ready to jump off the table at her. "Alex, stop this." The floor fell silent again and Alex scowled back at her, both of them not willing to look away.

Zalyea stuck out her tongue, winking.

"She started it!" Alex shouted angrily, gritting his teeth. His face was red with anger.

Now, _this_ was interesting. So Alex was that easily emotionally manipulated. Aleena smirked. If he ever became a problem, he would be easy to deal with.

"Confusion is like the tides of the ocean, it comes in waves." Gimi laughed. "And I just got hit by a Tsunami."

Alex slowly clambered off the table, brushing himself down. "Whatever! I don't care anyway!"

"Well, the thing is…" Tyler began slowly.

Alex blurted loudly, "Yolei and Aquilamon said we have to stop an evil beast from attacking. They said to ask Gennai for help and we want to help!"

Taran gripped onto her arm. He was afraid of so much that leaving him at all seemed unfeasible for his survival. Still, he was no harm if she didn't leave him. Maybe she could just take him with her to the Digital World.

Gimi said nothing for the longest time. "Flowers and reeds are the seeds of yesterday."

"Don't speak in riddles. We need answers, Gimi," Corinne said sternly. "Do you know anything about this?" She had gripped onto the edge of the table and was leaning in towards Gimi.  
"To say no would be a lie." Gimi twirled around on the spot.

"So, you do," Tyler interjected. He had been observing quietly from a distance. He stepped forwards. "Perhaps you should enlighten us all."

Gimi sighed. "Six hundred years ago—"

"Yo, we don't need no history lesson!" Zalyea yelled. "We need answers!" She rolled her eyes.

"You definitely do," Alex said, locking eyes with her and scowling.

Zalyea stuck her tongue out. "Not more than you though!"

Gimi continued, "There were twelve Digidestined. And before them came just five. Those five dealt with a calamity, ensuring future safety."

"What's a calarmitee?" Taran asked, looking up at Aleena.

Tyler looked quickly at them before returning his focussed gaze to Gimi. "An event capable of causing significant damage." He narrowed his eyes. "A calamity of a magnitude significant enough ot threaten the safety of not one, but both worlds… Prodigious."

Taran gulped and gripped Aleena's arm tighter.  
"Wait, there were more than the twelve traitors?" Corinne asked. "That wasn't in the books." She slumped down into her seat tiredly. "I don't understand, Gimi. Are you telling us that everything is a lie?"  
Gimi chuckled. "History is written by the victors."  
"That's like what you said, Ty," Len said, laughing.

Tyler didn't respond, instead he didn't take his eyes off Gimi.

Gimi looked around at them all. "Of the twelve Digidestined only one was to be there."  
"To be where?" Tyler asked, scribbling all of this down on a napkin.

"The Digital World."

"So one of them is alive…" Len's face screwed up and then he looked at Alex. "Is it Yolei, perhaps?"

"Sadly, that one did not make it. And now fire will rain down."

"Didn't make it?" Tyler scrunched up his face. He was clearly in deep thought. He gripped his hair, staring at the napkin.

"Fire better not rain soon. I've got tickets to a basketball game in February." Zalyea tutted. "Don't be making prophecies like they real. I couldn't buy tickets if it was Armageddon."

Gimi's hologram shuddered. "Gennai is not all that he seems. Nod, I, and the others who help those with Digimon are transient beings."

"None of this links together! Just answer properly!" Tyler yelled. His napkin was covered in scribbles, lines and incomprehensible language. He waved it at Gimi. "Just fill in the dots!"

"Further information can be requested after Leomon has been saved." Gimi nodded and fell silent again.

So that was his agenda all along. Reel them in with curious information and then try to get them to bite and attack RODAF. Flashes of Ben and Nyx invaded her brain and when she was able to see again, she felt dizzy. This was becoming impossible. "So, we go get him?" She looked at the others.

"Aleena, are you sure you want to go back there?" Talmon asked, he reached out with his paw tentatively.

Aleena pushed the paw away. "I'll do what I want." If this would make all those visions go away and help people too, then refusing was against everything she stood for.

"There's no way we can do that," Len said, shaking his head. "We're just kids, we can't just break into a government agency." He sat back down, putting his head into his hands. "Maybe we should just hand in our Digivices and—"

"I wanna know more. So I'm up for it. Plus, cutie is going," Alex said, winking at Aleena.

Corinne sighed exasperatedly and looked up at Gimi. "We're just _horny_ kids. We're in too deep."

"Is he okay?" Taran asked, still gripping Aleena's arm like a leech.

"Digimon are revolting. Unease against humans is at an all-time high. It's very wibbly wobbly," Gimi replied softly, "Leomon may not expire later."

"So, you're saying that he'll be killed soon," Len muttered, looking down at the ground. Slowly, he looked up at Tyler. "Way to make us feel crappy."

"Ty, yo? What you think?" Zalyea looked down at her Digivice. "Me and Gaimon are ready if you need us to be." She gripped the Digivice tightly and nodded.

"Gimi, I appreciate the faith you possess for us. However, I don't think it's feasible." Ty shook his head. "We're going to leave Taran with his family and return home." He slipped the napkin into his pocket and stepped back, leaning against the wall.

"A hop, skip and a jump through the Digital World will spit you out at RODAF." Gimi slipped his arms into the long baggy sleeves of his karategi. "Shall we play hopscotch?"

"Gimi, we need to leave Taran and all of this behind, I'm afraid," Tyler said tiredly, shaking his head. "I think we've all had enough of playing hero."

"Aleena, it's too dangerous to go back," Talmon hissed as Tyler argued with Gimi.

Aleena looked back at him. "Tal, just do as you're told and come with me."

Talmon seemed taken aback but snapped, "I won't let you go and kill yourself."

"Try and stop me." Aleena glared at him. While she felt a tiny bit bad for treating him like this, usually he was there for her no matter what. What was with him?

"Aleena, please," Talmon begged, his mouth open and trembling.

"You'll die?" Taran asked, his lip trembling. "I don't want that to happen, missus Aleena."

"Now look what you've done," she hissed at Talmon. Glancing down at Taran, she saw he was now teary eyed. Did this kid ever stop crying? "I'll go take him," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the room.

They were just a few steps away before Taran blurted out, "I don't want to go! This isn't fair! You can't make me!" He stamped his feet.

She knelt down and saw the sadness in his face. His lip was trembling and his eyes were sunken at the sides. "Taran."

"I want to stay with you." His eyebrows wriggled and the tears began to roll down his soft cherubic cheeks. He gripped onto her and tried to embrace her in a hug but she resisted.

She didn't care for tears. They were a sign of weakness. However, he had gotten used to Conan. If he had stuck around her, she would have knocked this habit out of him by now the same way it was knocked out of her. Sadly, it wasn't much use to start now. "Taran, this next bit might be too dangerous. You'll be safer here." Taking him into a warzone would just be cruel and complicate things. This was easier.

"I won't get hurt, I have you." Taran grabbed her sleeve tightly, his little brown orbs quivering as he looked at her.

Aleena smiled. For some bizarre reason, he had faith in her. She lifted his hand, albeit with some resistance, from her sleeve. "Taran, I'm not your mum. I can't promise I'll be there to jump in front of the bullet every time. Your parents can, and will."

Taran vehemently shook his head. As he bit the middle of his bottom lip, either side retracted back, and he began to whimper. "Don't leave me here." Looking around and then back at her, he pleaded, "Please." His lip fell forwards and he began to sob, throwing his arms out to the side.

He just wasn't getting it. "Taran, look—"

"Ally, please don't go! I need you!"

Aleena froze. The name was a bad reminder of the past; seeing a flash of Bertha, she found it hard to focus.

She looked at Taran, ignoring the blood that she could see on the fringes of her vision. "You're strong, Taran. Remember what Conan gave to you?"

Taran slowly withdrew the little white button and nodded, sniffling. "Yeah."

Aleena grabbed her PDA and flicked a catch on the back to eject the button embedded in it. "I have one too." She rubbed her thumb over it and then held it out to Taran. "If you need me, then press this and I'll get a little beep on my wrist, see." Pressing the button, she showed him her wrist as a little red dot began to flash underneath the skin. "Press it again if you're actually okay." She pressed the button again and the light vanished. "I'll be back soon." Standing up, she ruffled his hair. "You'll be fine, I promise. Just be brave."

She walked back in but stopped at the door as she heard them arguing.

"Why should we risk our lives?" Tyler exclaimed angrily, throwing his arms into the air. "Stop being so recalcitrant!"

"Because it's to do something good!" Alex yelled back, flinging a plate across the room.

Rori touched her hand gingerly.

Aleena flinched. Curtly, she said, "Yes?"

"Is he alright?" Rori asked, her eyes flicking to the door and then back to Aleena. "And are _you_ alright?"  
Aleena nodded and walked over to Talmon. "You still stopping me from doing anything?" she grumbled.

Talmon glanced at her with indifference. "The only thing I want to stop you doing is dying." He was definitely pouting about how mean she had been to him.

"I've had enough. Send us," Corinne demanded, looking at Tyler. "Now."

"Wait, no!" Tyler exclaimed.

Gimi grinned. "Bippity, boppity boo!" His hologram flashed off.

Alex snatched his Digivice as they all began to blare brightly.

Corinne looked at Tyler. "I'm sorry, Ty."

A flurry of blue and yellow rushed past Aleena's eyes and her whole body felt like it had been through a meat grinder and then wind touched her neck. She snapped her eyes open and saw where they were. Home Base. Cracking her neck, she realised that the choice had been made for them. Now she was going to make them pay. Turning to Talmon, who was holding her bag in his ears, she said, "Hand me my gun."

* * *

 **What did Dobermon mean? So, is Gen'nai friend or foe? How does Gimi know Gen'nai and why is he being so cryptic? More battles next chapter? Maybe...**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	27. Chapter 26: A New Life

Taran looked around the entrance hall that he had been left in. A blue flash caught his attention, originating from a crack in between the closed doors that Aleena and the others were behind. He swallowed back in a mixture of fear and nerves; how was he supposed to just live here now? Right now, he had never missed his family so much.

The entrance hall was as grand and spacious as the rest of the house had been. From the door, and continuing all the way up the staircase—which split into left and right about halfway up—was a black rug with lots of men holding swords on it made from gold thread. The white marble floor was shining as brightly as the mirrors hung on the walls, which made it a little hard to see, and the sounds of people moving about made him nervous. A faint scent of food drifted from somewhere else, but Taran didn't dare venture to find out where. There were also a few paintings on the walls, but Taran didn't recognise any, save for the one at the point where the stairs bisected into left and right.

He slowly walked up the stairs, intrigued as to how he recognised a picture from somewhere he had never been. In front of the picture was a white pillar, which had a small bronze jug on top covered by a glass case. Why would they keep a jug out here? Ignoring it, he peered at the picture and saw that it was depicting families playing in a field. As he leaned closer to see if he recognised any of the people, he knocked the glass box and the whole thing began to wobble. He tried to grab the jug, reaching for it, but it slipped through his little hands.

"Careful!" a voice shouted.

Taran nearly burst out crying there and then, fearing he was in big trouble.

A man in a suit caught the falling jug inches from the ground in one hand and the glass box in the other. Exhaling, he placed them back onto the pillar carefully and then stood back to look at it. "That's very important to Mr Adené," the man said.

"Who are you?" Taran asked. He wanted to know more about this strange man who left jugs lying about but he resolved to save that question for later.

"I'm a butler here, sir." He adjusted his black tie. "I presume you are Master Adené?" Wait? Master? What was he master of? And his last name wasn't Adené. Maybe it was someone else?

Taran was afraid, but he had to know. "Master Adené?" He gulped, afraid of the repercussions as the man towered over him.

"Taran would be your given name, of course. Welsh Thunder."

Taran had no idea what this man was on about and was too terrified to move. Welsh Thunder? Taran was English.

The butler paused, his ginger moustache wriggling as he seemed to be thinking. He withdrew a black rectangle and tapped the screen twice and then held it to his ear. "Sir, should I bring him up now?" The butler nodded. "We won't keep you waiting, sir."

Taran debated running, worried that he was going to be dragged up the stairs to see some strange man pretending to be his dad. His real mum and dad had always warned him of strangers, especially those with cool things.

The man placed the phone into the pocket of his smart black trousers and looked down at Taran, his face like stone. "If you'll come with me, please, sir."

Taran really didn't want to go. Every fibre of his being was telling him to bolt down the stairs and out the doors. Maybe he could find the others if he left now and then he could go back home. Looking up at the butler, who was still staring, he realised that if he left now, then no one—not Aleena or his parents—would ever find him. Reluctantly, he gulped and said, "Okay."

The butler began to walk up the stairs, which curved into a spiral as soon as they passed the first floor, and continued up for what seemed like forever. This really was a super big house! Then they reached the top and Taran had to pause for breath. The steps had been so steep. "Can we…? Mister?" Taran panted, unable to string together a sentence without a breath interrupting him.

The butler nodded, waiting a second for Taran to catch his breath. "All done?"

Taran took a deep breath in and then nodded. "Yes, mister." A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face and he wiped it away. Gross.

"It's down here." The butler continued to the door at the end of the hallway and knocked twice, pausing for a second before twisting the gilded doorknob and opening the door.

The butler didn't step inside, simply moving to the side of the door. "Master Taran for you, sir," The butler announced.

"Go fetch us some water," the man, who was sat gazing out of the window facing the front garden, ordered.

The butler nodded. "Yes, sir." And then placed a hand on Taran's back, pushing him gently inside before closing the door after him.

Taran stood inside the room, looking at the packed bookcases either side of the room as the sound of footsteps faded. He must really like reading.

"I've been waiting a long time for you to return, Taran." He turned his chair around, looking Taran up and down.  
Taran looked at the brown-haired man and then at his own dirty shoes. "I don't know who you are," he admitted sheepishly.

The man took an elongated breath in and then sighed. "I see." He rested his elbows on the desk and then placed his fingertips together, peering over them. "I figured it had been too long and it seems I was correct." Inhaling, he continued, "I am your father, Taran; I had you taken away from me before you were even walking." Smiling, he said, "I'm sorry that it has taken me such a long time to find you, but I am terribly glad that you are finally home." He got up from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back as he looked out of the large window, which was spilling light into the small room.

Taran had absolutely no idea what to say. What on earth was this man on about? He knew who his parents were! They were not this man. A knock at the door startled the both of them and then the butler entered. He hastily walked across the carpet, placing the water glasses on the robust mahogany desk that the man had been sat behind with a clink. It was littered with paper, pens and various technology, leaving little room for the small silver tray and crystal glasses. The butler then exited, as quickly as he had entered, and left them alone in silence again.

Quickly, Taran became too afraid to break the silence and decided that feeling uncomfortable was the only option. The ice cubes in the glass clinked, settling within the water.

"Taran," the man began as he turned around. Slowly, he walked over.

What was he going to do? In a panic, Taran took a step back.

"I see. It really has been too long," the man murmured as he rubbed his chin. Looking to the glasses, he motioned with his hand. "Would you like a drink? Perhaps a snack—I could get the chef to cook you anything you like."

Taran shook his head timidly. There was _no_ way he was taking food from this crazy man. If he took those sweeties he would whisk him away in a white van and Taran would definitely never see his family again.

The man paused, and then his face lit up. "Would you like a toy? You can pick anything in the world that you want and I shall acquire it."

The man's materialistic suggestions reminded Taran of _'stranger danger'_ and so he backed off more, getting ever closer to the door. Soon he was going to have to just run or be attacked. Or maybe even eaten. What if this man was like the monsters in the books he would read when mum and dad were in bed at night? He knew he shouldn't have borrowed those books off his brother.

"Well, if you seek nothing, then may I at least have a hug from my only son? I have waited all these years to see you, after all." The man seemed sincere but Taran was frozen by fear.

Remembering that he had promised to be good, he contorted his face awkwardly as he wrestled with the idea until he gave in and took a few steps towards the man. He was still cautious, not rushing, but the man smiled and began to walk towards Taran. When they met, the man's long arms wrapped around Taran loosely. The hug felt awkward and staged; all Taran could think about was escaping from it.

After a lot longer than it should have been, the hug ended and the two separated. Taran looked at him, not sure what to say and the man also stared at Taran. His eyes weren't warm or friendly, they reminded Taran of Aleena's eyes at the moment.

"Let me finish this paperwork and then we will locate your mother." He looked back at the desk and then to Taran.

Taran nodded meekly, not sure if he could say no. Was the man even asking?

The man indicated the two high-back green leather armchairs in front of his desk with a wave of his hand. Was he telling him to sit on them?

Taran walked over slowly, cautiously, and took a seat as the man watched closely.

The man moved quickly to his desk as soon as Taran was sat down and picked up a sheet of paper that he had been writing on before Taran had come in. He scribbled away on it, writing words Taran didn't understand in fancy handwriting. His handwriting was even all joined up and swirly.

In an attempt to entertain himself, at least slightly, Taran looked around the room. The room, excluding the desk, was very neatly kept. The dark wooden floor was covered by a red rug with fuzzy golden tassels and it looked like it would be really comfy to lie on. Looking up at the man, he noticed the big black leather chair that he was sat in. It looked like it spun around and Taran really wanted to have a go, like when he and his brothers would play jousting in dad's study. The man himself had a pristine suit but his face looked really tired. He definitely needed bed. And his forehead was covered in wrinkles.

"All done." The man looked up, placing the paper into a box on the desk. "Let's go find mother, shall we?"

Taran reluctantly stood up. "Is mum here?" Did he mean his mum or some strange woman?

"She is. And she'll be _very_ excited to see you." He walked over to the door, pulling it open. "Come on."

They walked down the long hallway and then back down the stairs for a while before stopping and going up a different hallway. It all looked the same. The same red carpets and white walls with paintings hung along them. The same flowers in vases. It was so confusing. When they came to the last door on the left of the hall, the man opened it. "Mother, we're here," he said, his voice sounding excited.

Taran looked around, trying to find his mum and then he spotted a woman. But… that wasn't his mum. He had been lied to. Who was she? Who were these strange weirdoes? And what did they want with him?

The woman, who had been sat on the bed, burst to her feet and rushed over. "I'm so happy to see you!" she yelled happily. "My Taran!" she sniffled, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tightly.

Taran endured the slightly painful hug wordlessly until she finally let go.

She reeled off sentences too fast for him to even begin to comprehend what she was saying and then finally stopped. She smiled. "Why don't you go and play in your room while your father and I have a chat, dear?" She knelt down and rubbed his cheek affectionately but her ice cold hands just made him shiver.

A knock at the door and then the butler stepped in. It was the same one as before. He seemed to be everywhere! Was he magic? "I'll take you there now, Master Adené." He indicated for Taran to leave with a flick of his wrist towards the hall, shooing him from the room, and then stepped aside to allow him past.

Taran looked around the extraordinarily clean room briefly before walking out. They walked to the next door along and then Taran was led inside.

The room was filled with every colour and toy he could imagine. There was so much that he just didn't know where to begin. The toys were spread all over the floor, but they seemed placed rather than messy. As if it had been set up for him.

"I shall leave you now." The door closed and Taran was alone again.

Taran looked around it for a little while. It was so cool! It would make any child happy and he felt really happy that they had given it to him but it all felt really false and made him miss mum and dad. He would trade everything in here to just go back home. Walking over, he slumped down onto the bed—which had been made with blue fur to look like a monster—and looked up at the white roof.

After a while, he stood up and felt his white socks rub on the furry polychromic carpet. The static was really fun, he had once shocked his brother with it. But then mum had told him off. Glancing around, he saw there was a large television on each wall, each with a different gaming system. What was strange was he hadn't been a good boy. He didn't deserve the plethora of toys or all the other fun stuff. So why were they doing this?

Talking? He looked around, expecting one of the televisions to be on but found nothing and then he heard it again. It was coming from the next room—the one where they were. Clambering onto the bed, which was pressed against the wall, he pressed his ear against the colourful wall, listening closely.

"Are you sure that's him?" It was Mr Adené.

"Does it matter?" the woman growled. That was the strange woman. "At this point it's too late to find anyone else. We need _someone_ to present to the press and that child will suffice. If you did not wish to take park in this, then you should have been more careful where you spill your toxic waste, shouldn't you?"

"Are you sure this will work?" He seemed really unsure. His voice even wavered a bit.

"The moronic public love a family man. A man who has rescued his only son will become a public figure of brilliance and adoration. Minor details like a few spillages will be forgotten and we can move on with our lives. _Do not_ screw this up for us now."

"Yes, dear." He paused, sighing. "Do we have to keep him after the press have left us alone?"

"I sure hope not." She scoffed. "There is a reason we got rid of him the first time. Children are repugnant." Footsteps. "We will find someone to hold onto him until we need him again and then we can go on holiday and forget all this madness, okay?"

"Yes, dear."

Taran leaned away from the wall. He wasn't sure what she had said but he knew it wasn't very nice. Falling back a little, he landed into one of the four coloured beanbags around the room and was grateful he did. He felt really hurt and did not like these two people at all. Looking down at the button Aleena gave him, he mumbled, "I'm not sure I can be brave." Picking up the other button, Conan's, he remembered how nice mister Conan had been. He didn't want to disappoint either of them but he really didn't want to be here. Closing his hand around them, he thrust them back into his pocket and walked out of the room, hoping to get away by himself. He would find his own way back. He would be brave.

Taran walked straight into something and fell back with a thud. Looking up, he rubbed his head and saw the butler shaking his head.

"They asked me to tell you to stay in your room for the night." He crossed his arms firmly across his chest.

Taran stood back up, frowning. "But."

The man ushered him back inside. "Play with your toys." And the door closed quickly. Keys jangled in the lock and then with a click, Taran knew he was trapped.

The footsteps of the butler faded and Taran felt flattened. Still, he debated breaking out but he had no idea how he would do it. Maybe he would be okay if he was a good boy. Remembering what the red-haired man had said, he began to peruse the toys. The only positive about all of this was that he didn't have to share a single toy; they were all for him. But, he would give that up in a heartbeat to have his family back. After all, what's the fun of playing with something all on your own? Picking up a toy giraffe, he sighed and dropped it again.

Later that night, Taran eventually went to bed after he had been given the atrocious evening meal of sushi. Both of them tasted like feet but apparently they ate healthily in this house, much to his displeasure.

~.~.~

Morning sunlight splayed across his face from the open curtains, warming his skin. As he laid in bed, he heard his stomach grumble. Turning over, he looked at the BunBoy alarm clock. It was seven o' clock and he was wide awake. Normally, he would never be up at this time in the morning, but a mixture of hunger and nerves had prevented him from achieving a good night's sleep. He was glad he hadn't lost any teeth or the tooth fairy definitely would not have come. Did his actual family even know where he was? Were they looking for him? He had been staring at the ceiling for about an hour so far, hoping that they would unlock his door soon, just so he would have something to do to take his mind off all of this.

There was a knock on the door and then his 'mother' walked in, smiling. "Are you alright, dear?" She walked over and sat down on the foot of his bed, still smiling gently. He could tell that the smile was as false as everything that came out of it.

Taran nodded, unsure what to say or where to look so he stared down at the ground.

"No need to be shy, you can talk to us. We're your parents." As she leant forwards her white blouse opened up slightly, with the top few buttons not done up.

She was such a liar. Hopefully his real mum and dad would find him soon. "I'm fine," he muttered quietly, not willing to blurt out how mad he was.

She nodded, seeming satisfied. "Well, we have a big plan for today. Your father has a press release about you being found and brought home to your family." Standing up, she brushed her black pencil skirt down. "So, we're going to have to get you all ready and handsome—not that you aren't always, of course!" she laughed loudly—and falsely—and then walked over to the door. "Why don't you pull off those dirty clothes and have a shower? The nearest bathroom is left at the top of the stairs. When you're finished, we'll get you ready for the press release." Then the door closed and the click clack of her high heels faded away.

Taran had no idea what he was supposed to do. Was he actually going to listen to her and do as she asked or was now the perfect time to escape? Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew both buttons again. One had the letter 'A' carved into the back and the other was blank. He knew which was which. Nodding fiercely, he decided that he had to hold on. His friends were busy and so he was going to have to fend for himself. Thrusting the buttons back into his pocket, he paused when he felt something else deeper down.

He pulled out the strange device from before and looked it over. He vaguely remembered it being called a Digivice, or at least, that's what he thought. Inside, he could see the little creature but Pumon seemed to be sleeping. It sucked that Pumon wasn't here with him at least, he felt so close to his new friend and knew that if they were together everything would work out alright. But, for now, he had to just keep going. Grabbing the buttons from his pocket, he thrust both them and the Digivice under his pillow. If he kept them with him then they might get taken away and he would be even more alone. Hopefully they wouldn't look under his pillow.

Turning around, he walked out of the room and peered around outside. There was no one about, but he could never be sure they weren't hiding and waiting for him. Taran crept down through the hallway, hoping that if he was quiet as a mouse, he wouldn't have to talk to any of those people. Slipping through the bathroom doorway, he gently pushed the door closed behind him and twisted the gold knob to lock it.

He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling safe that there was now a door between him and them that he had control over. The room was pristine and white, with a big bathtub. As he pulled off his t-shirt, he pondered why they might have more than one bathroom. Maybe it was in case one broke, they would have a spare. In the corner was a glass shower with lots of nozzles in the walls. It looked a little scary but Taran opted for that over the bath that looked bigger than his mum and dad's car. He did feel dirty and his mum had always told him to wash behind his ears once a day. So he was taking this shower for her sake.

Climbing in, he closed the door firmly behind him and twisted the hot water on. It blasted him from every side, invading every crevice and making it hard to breathe. Steam quickly filled the shower as he was bombarded by hot water while trying to wash himself with the slim bar of white soap. It was so hard to hold on to! Twisting off the shower, he thought about how he missed taking baths with his BunBoy toys back home, they were much more relaxing than this craziness.

Taran climbed out of the shower and felt a mixture of shock and fear as he found his clothes were gone and had been replaced by a white polo shirt, white boxer shorts and brown trousers. Shivering a little from the breeze drifting through the open window, he looked around to see if whoever had brought the clothes in was still in the room. Keeping his hands on his body, he crept forwards and then hurriedly pulled his clothes on. He was really scared right now. This was like a spooky story that you would tell around a campfire.

Touching the doorknob, he twisted it slowly and then tiptoed out while continually looking around. His wet hair was dripping onto his shoulders and the floor and his soggy feet slapped on the ground as he walked but he had a plan. While they were all busy he would go to the fridge and get some real food and then hide away from their press thingy.

Stepping down the stairs slowly, he paused when he saw a maid at the bottom and turned around to creep back up.

"Master Adené!"

Taran turned around and smiled weakly. He had been caught. Sighing, he walked down the stairs.

"I have socks and shoes for you." She picked up a pair of black shoes and white socks. "After we get these on, we can get you out the door looking adorable." She beckoned him over, still smiling.

He stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at her clean black dress and white pinafore as she undid the laces of the shoes. Taran had no idea what he was supposed to do but a gentle prod got him onto his bum and then she pulled the shoes and socks on quickly.

"Okay, now let's dry that hair a bit." She withdrew a small towel from her pinafore and began to vigorously scrub his hair until it was drier than straw and then she withdrew a brush.

Taran recoiled. Brushes hurt his curly hair so much. "I'm fine!" he protested.

"Nonsense." She dragged it through his hair as he screamed in vain to get her to stop. "There, see, now what was all that crying about?" She slipped the brush back into the big pocket in the bottom of her pinafore.

Taran sniffed as his head throbbed. This place was awful. "My head hurts."

"It's fine, you've got to go outside now." Standing up, she helped him back up and led him to the door. "Now, out you go." She walked backwards, but didn't leave.

Looking up at the monolithic door, he reached tentatively for the gold door handle and then twisted it, opening it.

The explosion of noise was crazy. It assaulted his senses from every angle. Cameras flashed and people shouted at him. Taran didn't dare take a step but a hand on his back pushed him forwards, closer to the cameras and a big microphone was held in front of his face. Taran tried to retreat but the hand on his back held firm.

"He's a little overwhelmed, after all, he has just been saved from a kidnapping." The man laughed.

Taran was confused. He had been with Aleena and the others and they hadn't kidnapped him. Did this man mean RODAF?

That kind of was kidnapping but he hadn't been with them all this time and then he realised. That man was blaming his real parents for the kidnapping. Taran snatched the microphone, scowling. " _They_ were my family; I wasn't kidnapped, this is kidnapping!" Throwing the microphone onto the floor he stormed back inside as the feedback screeched.

That woman rushed after Taran, her black high heels tapping on the floor. The door slammed shut and her manicured nails gripped his arm tightly, squeezing it and digging in "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

Turning around, Taran frowned. "They didn't kidnap me, you have," he spat. The pain from her claws wouldn't make him like this anymore.

She laughed and said, forced, "No, dear, we're your _real_ parents and _this_ is your home."

"You're lying!" Taran yelled. He couldn't take this anymore! Tearing his arm free, he ran up the stairs.

"Taran Adené, come back this instant!"

Taran paused at the top of the stairs and looked at her at the bottom. She looked almost relieved. "My name is Taran Jones!" There was no way he would ever be her son, no matter what she said! Turning back, he ran up the stairs and rushed into his room.

Roaring in anger and difficulty, he pushed a bookcase against the door. Tugging again, he moved a set of drawers behind the bookcase as he heard banging on the door. Luckily, both hadn't had anything much in or he would not have been able to do it with his little arms. Panting from exhaustion, he fell onto his bed and began to cry. He wasn't a big strong boy like he had tried to be, he was just a little cry baby.

"Come out of your room this instant!"

He looked at the door and was terrified at the thought of what she might do if she got in. Then he thought about disappointing his friends and more tears rolled down his cheeks. Wiping his eyes with the balls of his hands, he sniffled.

"Taran Adené, come out now!" He heard her call for help and knew he couldn't stay in here forever. All she wanted him to do was take a picture. It was like a school photo, he didn't want to do it, but it would make everyone else happy.

Reluctantly, he got up and pulled the dresser away and then pulled the bookcase a little. The door swung open and she rushed into the room, nearly knocking him over in her haste. She bent down and started shouting incomprehensibly in his face. Looking at his feet guiltily he knew he would feel worse if she hadn't been so mean. "I'm sorry."

"Why were you so silly?" she asked, having calmed down slightly.

"I—" He was going to have to do it. "I'm sorry, m— mum." The words made him feel sick.

Her face lit up and she wrapped her arms around him. "Let's go back outside and tell them you're tired but happy you're home, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled weakly, trying to just go along with it.

"Good boy." She stood up and held out her hand from him to hold. He really, really didn't want to but he knew had to.

Taking her cold hand, they walked back to those dreaded front doors.

"Are you ready, honey?" He could tell she didn't use that word often.

Nodding, he watched her open the door and the flashes started again. He tried to look up at the sky and smile, avoiding all the hullabaloo, but he could still hear them. A bird flew through the sky and he watched it glide around. He really wished he was free like that bird.

"Taran are you happy to be home?" Silence fell.

Taran blinked and looked at the crowd of people. "Yes, I love my mummy and daddy," he said, almost shivering with disgust as he said those words.

That woman waved to the crowd. "He's very tired so we'll let him rest but we." She placed a hand on her husband and the other on Taran. "Are so happy he's finally home."

"Taran, are you happy to be home?" One of the reporters shouted the question after a silence fell.

Walking back inside, Taran kept his head low until the doors closed and they rushed over and stood in front of him.

"What was that?" Mr Adené exclaimed. "That was an embarrassment!"

"I—" Taran stammered.

"You very nearly wrecked that for us!"

"But, sweetie, he didn't." That woman rubbed his arm and then knelt down in front of Taran. She placed her hand under his chin, gripping it tightly, and dug her nails in as she spoke. "And you won't do it again, will you, honey?" She most definitely was not as sweet as honey.

"No," Taran said, struggling to speak without the use of his chin.

"Good boy. Now, go clean yourself up for the evening meal." Pulling her hand away, she stood back up.

Feeling defeated, Taran walked back up the stairs. They were evil and he had to escape at all costs.

* * *

 **Are these people really Taran's parents? How will Taran cope alone? Will he ever escape? Did I lie about this being a battle chapter? (Yes).**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	28. Chapter 27: Assault

Loading her gun, Aleena holstered it into her belt and turned to the others. "Get your Digimon out."

Zalyea scoffed. "I know you did not just—"

Tyler placed a hand on her shoulder as he pressed the side button of his Digivice and a purple portal formed, releasing Idomon. "Just this once, Zalyea."

"Whatever." As Zalyea and the others released their Digimon, they were noticed.

"Who are you?" A RODAF agent rushed over, his black suit proof that he was a base agent and not a field agent. This would be easy.  
"Talmon." Aleena ran at him, diving into his chest before he could take in the situation. As she knocked him to the ground, she stood back up and continued to run.

From behind, Talmon said, "Energy Burst."

Unfortunately, they had still raised suspicion and an alarm began to blare. Looking around, she kept her cool and blocked out the sound. "Leomon'll be in the research labs." Turning back to Tyler and the others, she beckoned. "Come on."

"I'm here," Rori chirped, from her other side. She was always there.

Aleena started to run again, everyone close by her, but stopped when she saw two familiar faces on the grassy verge in the middle of Home Base. Trish and Tony. This was just going to waste time and energy. "Let's just finish this quickly!" Aleena yelled at the two.

"I'd like nothing more!" Trish yelled, producing a Digivice. Did everyone just have one of these now?  
"Tony, get her!" Vimon barked as she was sucked into a Digivolution egg.

"You guys keep going. Zalyea and I have got this." Len grabbed Zalyea's hand and the girl nodded as they both Digivolved their partners.

Taking the offer of help, Aleena ran around the two idiots, hoping the others would continue to follow. It's likely they'd be stopped at least once more.

"Aleena, what's your plan?" Talmon asked.

"Get through this all quickly. Get Leomon and steal some EDAMs to escape."

"What's an EDAM? Isn't that a type of cheese?" Alex asked. "I could kill for a cheese toastie right now."

"Focus, Alex," Corinne snapped.

Ahead, a group of black suits led by Rachel were running towards them. It would be possible to force their way through for sure. "Ignore her. She's weak."

"We'll see about that, Aleena. Almon, Digivolve!" Rachel yelled.

"Almon can Digivolve too?" Rori yelled.

Cursing under her breath, Aleena looked at Talmon. How did even Rachel unlock it when she couldn't? Behind, she could hear Tyler, Alex and Corinne panting.

"Alex, I'm itching to fight. Let's take this nuisance out and catch up later." Felismon leapt into the air. "Fireball!" Flames burst from her tail, causing the group of RODAF agents to separate down the middle. "Time to do some cooking."

Corinne looked back at Alex with concern as they ran through the scattered agents. "You just want to see if you can get her number!" It was probably true. Rachel was inclined to accept any male offer of companionship.

Leaving Alex behind, they ran through the gap in the middle and towards the Office Complex.

Grunting, Aleena shoulder barged an agent into the wall and then ran through the automatic door as it shuddered open.

"She's too old for me!" Alex yelled.

Aleena sniggered. Rachel's delicate ego wouldn't like that.

The sound of the siren inside the hallway was deafening. The whole area was blanketed in a dull red glow that made it difficult to focus. However, all the doors in the office block were closed. Aleena tugged one and found it was locked. This was strange. The windows of all the offices were blacked out too. Something was amiss.

"Perhaps they know we aren't here to harm employees?" Tyler suggested, panting all the while.

Rori asked, "How do they know it's us? We only just got here?"  
Aleena shook her head. They had to focus. Distractions like this would only slow them down. "Come on!"

"Coming!" Corinne called, almost breathless.

"It's so loud!" Rori yelled.

Aleena instead focussed on the journey. They had gone around so many bends and she was beginning to realise the layout had been altered and extended since they were last here. Ahead, there was a dark-skinned guard facing the other way. Aleena leapt into the air and roundhouse kicked him in the face as he turned to see them, knocking him into the wall with a thud and knocking him out. Behind him was another guard; she promptly shoulder barged the black-haired man into a wall. As he raised his fist to hit her, she punched him in the throat and Rori smashed his head off the opposite wall with a crunch. Exhaling, she looked back at the others, and saw they were okay before she ran off again.

Down the hall, she could see that it opened up. "Stay close," she warned as she ran ahead into the area. It was a large circular room with a tall ceiling and three other pathways. The flooring was the same silver tiles as everywhere else, but, in this large space, their footsteps now echoed. This was somewhere she had never been before so a trap could be lurking anywhere.

In the middle of the room was someone Aleena knew well.

"King!" Rori yelled happily.

King finished drinking from a silver flask, sliding it back into his pocket. He looked up at them and shook his head, producing a Digivice.

Calmoonmon was released, despite having being reverted to an egg form last time they saw her. That could only mean they found her after RODAF expelled her egg back into the Digital World.

King rolled his shoulder around in the socket, cracking it. "It's just business."

"Calmoonmon is strong." Aleena grimaced. This wasn't going to be easy and they definitely couldn't just run past King.

"King, what are you doing? We're your friends!" Rori protested.

King snapped his fingers and an orange Energy Shroud burst from his body briefly.

"King, come with us!" Rori exclaimed.

"Rori, leave him!" Aleena yelled, pulling her arm to bring the redhead back to her senses.

"Lummon," Corinne said and her partner began to Digivolve.

Aleena swiped Rori's Taser gun and fired a shot at King, hitting him in the chest.

Strangely, he moved not more than a second later, which should not have been possible.

It was something to do with his Energy Shroud. "Talmon, you guys fight off Calmoonmon for a second."

"Energy Burst."

"Petal Swirl."

"Ghastly Face!" Idomon opened its mouth to unleash a high-pitched scream coupled with a red laser. It joined the glowing petals and ball of energy but Calmoonmon knocked them all away with a swing of her leg and then continued running at them. The attacks crashed into the floor, blowing a hole in the metal.

Handing Rori the Taser, Aleena grabbed her handgun and fired twice at King. He dodged, but the bullets still cut his face and arm. It was as she thought. He was healing.

"How is that possible?" Rori yelled.

"It appears his First Vector is Regeneration," Tyler said.

"I can hold him off with Lummosmon. You guys save Leomon, okay?" Corinne said. Her face and her voice showed she was unsure but they had no choice.

"Take this." Aleena pulled the Taser from Rori's hand and placed it into Corinne's. "Point and shoot."

"It's so red and shiny in here." Lummosmon idly swung her staff at Calmoonmon and the latter leapt back next to King.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Tyler asked, reaching to touch her.  
"Go! We don't have time to argue, Ty!" Corinne yelled.

Aleena rushed off, hoping that King would at least let them escape. She looked back briefly to see the others following and King watching Corinne but not moving. There was something off but Aleena didn't have time to find out what.

"They've changed the layout a lot," Talmon whispered.

"I know, I'm going with gut instinct at the moment."

"How's that working out? We've hit every fight on the way in?" Talmon joked.

Aleena shrugged. "My gut likes a challenge."

Then she could see a bright light. This was strange. They had been going up and down stairs a lot but she was sure they were still underground, well as underground as you can be on a floating island.

When she got out into a courtyard area, she was swept backwards onto the white stone floor by a gust of air. Looking up, she could see Cory on Warhawkmon's back. All around them were high walls but it was definitely clouds up above.

"This time, I won't lose." Cory produced a black Digivice with white features.

"Why does everyone have one of these now?" Rori asked exhaustedly. Aleena was beginning to wonder the same thing. RODAF had done something. If she could find Leon before they left, it would possibly be worth asking him.

"We can take him, Ty," Idomon said, floating ahead.

Tyler rested his hands on his knees, panting from the physical strain. He held up a hand, looking up. "Wait a second, Idomon. Gimi had nothing to do with these Digivices so we have to be careful." Tyler exhaled, coughing up phlegm. "They could be dangerous."

"I won't lose either, Cory," Aleena said, producing her own Digivice. There was no way she was going to back down, even if he was stronger in every way.

"I already know Talmon can't Digivolve so move aside. I'll fight those two instead," Cory said dismissively, further riling her up.

"You annoying little—!" Aleena growled, shoving her Digivice away.

"I'll deal with him, Aleena. Don't worry about it. You and Tyler go on ahead." Rori pressed the Digivolution button on her Digivice and Orchidemon silently moved into her Digivolution ball. "Just don't be too long."

Aleena could tell Rori was unsure of whether she would actually be able to match Cory, but she had to accept the offer. There was no other way they would make it to Leomon. "Don't screw this up. You still haven't won me over. Don't think this stupid idea will change that." Running across the courtyard, she made sure Talmon was next to her.

She stopped at the doorway and saw Tyler blown back by a gust of wind. "Hey, Cory, let him go!" Aleena yelled.

"Shut up. I need a challenge and one of you won't suffice."

"Me and you, one on one! No partners!" Aleena yelled.

He laughed. "As if I have the time to waste. Go on ahead, you aren't needed." He turned back to them. "Digivolve that gaseous blob of yours."  
"Gaseous blob? I'll gaseous you!" Idomon growled.

Shooting at Cory, she hoped to knock him out of the sky but Warhawkmon avoided it by flying up and away. However, that gave them an opening. "Run!"

Tyler ran across the courtyard but Rori waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Aleena yelled.  
"I'll do this. I'm not leaving Orchidemon and you guys need an exit."

Aleena growled and ran off down the hallway.

"The Resistance sure did drop like flies," Idomon commented as he floated behind.

"Idomon," Tyler chided. Drop like flies was a little presumptuous but she didn't have high hopes with them fighting RODAF. Hopefully they could get in and out and back them up quickly.

That smell. Aleena asked, "Can you smell that?"

"No," Tyler replied, sniffing the air.  
He sure did have a habit of assuming everything was about him. "I was talking to Talmon." She stopped at an intersection and looked left. It was coming from that way.

"I think so," Talmon said.

The corridors were getting slender, and now they were running single file just to get through.

"It's strange that I can't distinguish the smell. Why is that?" Tyler asked.

"It's Digimon Poo. They only do it when they're ill or eat too much." Aleena looked down at Talmon. "We didn't always have good medicine or a good diet."

"Why are we following the smell of Digipoo?" Tyler asked through deep breaths and gasping. How did he not get it? Where there was poo there was bound to be a source.

Aleena pulled open the door ahead and saw Leomon in a large vat in the basement room. The room was huge, with stairs leading down to the ground. "Found him."

"Trust is earned, I suppose," Tyler said, resting on the doorframe. The door slammed shut, forcing them all inside and it locked behind them. "Idomon, do something," Tyler said, banging on the door breathlessly.

"Let's just go get him then we'll focus on getting out," Aleena said, running down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, the room began to flicker until it disappeared and left behind a boy in a bobble hat.

"Leon…" Aleena muttered. It was him. It was really him! But that look showed that he wasn't there to join them and he certainly wouldn't answer her questions.

"You know this boy?" Tyler asked as Oobmon appeared next to Leon.

Leon wordlessly produced a white Digivice with aqua markings. Was he really going to do this? Feeling a bead of sweat run down her forehead, she felt her chest tighten and those words echo in her head.

" _They had value, you do not."_

Barely able to focus on what was going on, she hazily saw Oobmon disappear into a Digivolution egg. "Leon, don't do this!" she yelled, pulling her hair in frustration that she could barely see through the red film over her eyes. "Leon, I don't want you to get hurt!" Aleena screamed. The flickering of her vision between flashbacks and what was actually going on was turning her insane. "Please!" Shaking her head, her eyesight cleared and she could see the tears in his eyes.

He mouthed something at her and she felt her heart shatter like glass.

She was going to have to fight someone who had been like her annoying little brother; there was no other way. But she couldn't take another loss, especially if she was the one who caused it, so after this she was going to have to end it.

A hand touched her shoulder. "I've got this."

She turned to see Tyler's smiling face. She had forgotten all about him. "Tyler…"

"Go get Leomon." He pressed the button on his Digivice and Idomon disappeared into his Digivolution egg.

This was strange. Why was he doing this? However, she could only think of one thing to say. "Thank you."

Tyler nodded. "We all have demons we wouldn't want to face."

Lobo was right when he left Rori with these people. They were different to anyone she had ever known. She wasn't quite sure how, but she knew they were special. Spotting a door to the north, she looked down at Talmon. "Let's go." Running away from the two boys, she pulled open the door and ran through.

Aleena spotted two faces that she knew too well. "Tracy and Kayran. I was hoping you would've left already." The door swung shut and locked with a small click.

"Aleena, be careful," Talmon whispered. "I don't think we're alone."

Lord Kayran turned around and smiled. "I'd like to say that I am surprised that you were the one who made it past all of the defences I put in place, but after all, you were my star candidate for promotion to the Neutralisation and Elimination Team. So, it is with pleasure that I see you here. It's just a shame that you're but a few minutes too late."

Tracy tapped a touch screen in front of Leomon's tank fervently, not pausing to look around.

"What?" Aleena walked closer, hoping to find out why she was too late. Leomon was still there.

"Stupid girl." Tracy laughed, continuing to tap away.

Aleena made sure that she would remember that remark for when she put her fist through Tracy's face.

"Tracy, silence," Lord Kayran snapped.

The German woman snickered.

"Aleena, I'm afraid that I have an unfortunate surprise for you."

What on earth was he on about? "I don't have time for games. I'm taking Leomon and leaving." Aleena ran at Kayran, raising her fist.

From above, a black shadow fell and grabbed onto her fist, tossing her backwards into the door.

Talmon stopped her, his paw slamming into her back to stop her from hitting the wall. "Aleena, I told you to be careful."  
"Why didn't you cover me then?" Aleena grumbled as she pushed herself up.

Reaching up to their face, the figure removed the ashen headscarf and then Aleena saw her. Alice.

Aleena was thrown back there. To Alice's body as it was growing cold. The skin was white now. She pressed down on the chest repeatedly, trying to get the heart back beating but suddenly she was thrown back by a wave of black sludge as Alice's body floated up above her. Aleena screamed. This couldn't be happening. Why was it happening? This goo holding her down felt so real. Alice flew straight at her, turning into a fist. Alphamon's. She screamed again, gripping her head as the black goo faded. There had to be some way to break out of this.

"Aleena!" Talmon?

Suddenly, she was back in the room and Talmon was pulling her out of the way of Alice's sword.

"Energy Burst!" The ball crashed into the sword, catapulting it across the room and into a wall.

Alice looked at the blade, raising an eyebrow and then back at them. "Aleena, I promise this will be over quick."

Standing up, Aleena looked over at Kayran. This was a nasty trick but there was no way she was going to let Alice beat her. "She is a surprise but I'm going to deal with her and then you're next!"

"A fight between two sisters will be good entertainment while we finish off draining Leomon."

Shaking off the information, Aleena asked, "How long do I have?"

"I'll give you a fighting chance. Five minutes is probably about right." He turned back to the console and began tapping away.

Alice waved her hand and her short sword flew out of the wall and slotted back into its scabbard on the small of her back. "It's time." Alice reached into a pouch at her waist and withdrew a handful of something shiny. She tossed it into the air and clenched her fist and suddenly the shimmering dust became knives. Iron filings.

"Talmon," Aleena yelled, running at Alice as the knives flew forwards.

"You act like I didn't already know! Seven Dragon Magic!" The dragons swirled around Aleena, grabbing onto the knives and tossing them away with clang after clang.  
"I'm going to win this. Sister or no sister," Aleena yelled, swinging her fist at Alice.

Alice moved to the side and brought her knee into Aleena's stomach.

Pain! Aleena spat out a glob of phlegm, trying to recover.

"Anything less than full strength would be an insult." Alice grabbed onto Aleena's T-shirt and tossed her across the floor with a bored sigh.

While skidding, Aleena burst back to her feet. "The same goes for you!"

"Energy Burst!"

Alice waved her hand, unleashing a barrage of knives at Talmon and leaping out of the way of the attack simultaneously. "I wouldn't want to hurt my baby sister." She ran towards Aleena, creating numerous balls of iron and hurling them at Talmon while she did.

"Shut up! We aren't family!" Aleena punched at Alice again but Alice moved behind her like a ghost. She had to get her balance back but a firm push on her back knocked her forwards. Swinging her leg up, Aleena felt a connection and heard a thwack. Growling, she pushed with her hands and threw the other leg up, aiming higher, for Alice's head.

A firm grip on her ankle and then a squeeze as she felt the bone crack. Aleena grimaced and brought her other foot back, crashing it into Alice's stomach and using it to springboard away. Tucking in on herself, she spun in the air and withdrew her gun, firing it twice.

Alice held up her palm and moved her hand. The bullets, and the gun, were thrown across the room effortlessly.

"That's cheating." Not that Aleena had never engaged in underhand tactics herself but it was rare anyone did the same back to her.

"Seven Dragon Magic!" The dragons surrounded Alice, tightening quickly towards her.

"So's that." Alice leapt into the air and the dragons hit into each other in her absence. Waving her hand, she made all of the metal that Talmon had knocked around the room fly at him. The knives impaled him and then threw him back before he could muster a defence and the dragons faded quickly.

"Talmon!" Aleena yelled, looking at her partner briefly before looking back at Alice. She would make the stupid redhead pay. Charging at Alice as she dropped down, Aleena leapt up and swung her fist.

Alice's look of slight shock said it all; this blow would connect.

"Heart Beam!" A beam of pink energy burned into Aleena's side and threw her across the room before she could reach Alice. That was Seemon's attack.

Grabbing her side, she breathed deeply through the burning as Alice ran at her. This was turning out to be a lot harder than she had anticipated and every second was a second closer to losing Leomon. Snapping her fingers, she felt the electric blue energy wash over her.

Aleena stood up as Alice leapt at her with a roundhouse kick. "I don't have time for you. Just like you didn't for me!" Gripping the ankle as it flew at her, she squeezed hard, feeling a bone breaking crunch, and then tossed Alice through the air.

Alice spun, recovering with ease. She gestured with her hand and the knives flew up and formed a chain, one end digging into the roof and the other wrapping around her arm. Swinging back and forth, she looked back at Seemon. "Get out of here now. I'll see you later." Seemon reluctantly disappeared from view and then Alice continued to swing back and forth on the chain until she flew off towards Aleena. The chain followed her, turning back into dust that swirled into the pouches at her waist.

Aleena broke into a run. As Alice reached her, she slid underneath the falling redhead and elbowed the other girl in the back, knocking her back into the air.

Alice waved her hand again and the iron filings flew around Aleena's ankles, tugging her back and throwing her at the wall.

The air flew out of Aleena's lungs as she slid down the wall, pain radiating from her back.

"Aleena, I'm not on the same level as you. I'm not as human as you or your friends. Run away. It's your last chance."

"I don't want to see mercy, Alice. There will be punishments delivered if this continues!" Kayran yelled.

"Time's up." Alice landed on the ground, grimacing slightly as her injured ankle touched the ground. She knelt and unravelled the bandages around the ankle and then tied them tighter, compressing it.

Aleena groaned, tugging the metal ropes off her ankles. She was sore all over but she could still fight. "I'm going to smash your boasty face into the ground!"

"Aleena, I'm not boasting, I—"

"Save it." Aleena ran at her again. This time she would end it.

Alice sighed and ran at her with indifference. It was so annoying.

Alice was the first to strike, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks. Each one was expertly placed and any that connected thudded against her bone like balls of metal.

Bringing her knee up quickly, Aleena aimed for Alice's stomach in the hopes it would wind her for at least a few seconds.

Alice pushed off Aleena's knee with her hands, vaulting into the air and flipping backwards, to deliver a swift kick at Aleena's chin.

Aleena grabbed the foot just before it hit her and threw Alice over her head but the redhead stopped herself, bouncing off the ground and grasping onto Aleena's body.

Quickly, Alice threw Aleena over her head.

Aleena flew into the ground, her right shoulder taking the brunt of it.

Before she could even move, Alice dived on top of her, trying to perform an arm bar.

Aleena knew the move well from the late-night fight shows that she would watch when Talmon fell asleep. Gripping onto Alice's back, she pulled her away and tossed her across the ground.

Alice skidded across the tiles and then rolled to her feet, throwing iron filings at Aleena. They formed knives mid-air and sped up.

Aleena rolled away and jumped up, watching them dig into the ground as Alice bounded through the air at her. She twirled into a roundhouse again but Aleena moved underneath this time and punched the underside of the knee, knocking the leg into the air.

Alice flipped back, using the momentum from Aleena's punch, and landed on the ground, low and on all fours. Kicking out, she swiped Aleena's leg away.

Aleena bounced on her feet, leaping back to try and regain balance, but as she did Alice surged up and grabbed onto her, throwing her into the ground again.

That time it had been her other shoulder. The pain throbbed hard and she knew the bruises would already be forming but Alice was still holding back. Aleena coughed, rolling to her feet as Alice tried to bring her elbow into Aleena's back. She leapt to her feet and swung a fist at Alice.

Alice struck her hard on the side of her forearm, throwing the swing wide and then slipped underneath as Aleena tried to catch her with her other fist. She swiped Aleena's foot with her own, wrecking her balance and then shoved her forwards into a stumble.

Aleena stopped herself and turned back. Alice was playing with her. Angry now, she tied her hair back into a ponytail. She was going to have to try harder. There was barely a minute or two left if her maths was right—not that it usually was. She sprinted at Alice, swinging her leg at Alice's side with all of her might. The attack hit so hard, it released a blast of wind, tossing Alice across the room.

Alice thudded to the ground but pounced back up like a cat and charged across the room. Around her iron balls formed quickly and began to hurl themselves towards Aleena.

Aleena kept her eye on them all, tracking them as they curved and swirled towards her. She dodged them as best she could, jumping and weaving out of their way as they pounded into the ground until Alice was in front of her. She was barely able to hold her arms up in defence before Alice brought a fist into her side, blasting her kidney hard.

Aleena gritted her teeth, dodging backwards as Alice did the same.

"You're stronger now; I'm so happy." Alice smiled, waving her hand, turning everything she had created back into filings and withdrawing them into her pouch.

"Don't play around!" Aleena yelled, sprinting at Alice.

"I won't," Alice said, shrugging.

Aleena threw a straight punch to Alice's chest, hoping to break any defence she could have.

Alice knocked the attack wide again with her palm and threw her own punch.

Aleena grabbed onto Alice's fist, it slamming into her palm, and then grabbed Alice's other hand, crunching down on them both with her superior strength.

Alice nimbly wrapped her legs around Aleena and delivered an agonising head-butt.

Aleena felt her whole world become fuzzy and her ears rang perpetually.

Alice's legs slid down her and she stepped back but Aleena didn't give her chance to retreat.

She tightened her grip on Alice's hands and then head-butted the redhead, letting go instantaneously and catapulting the other girl across the room. Two could play at that game.

Alice crashed into the wall and her body slumped down.

"You're smarter now too." Alice touched the blood on her forehead and stood up. "But you're still my baby sister." Alice waved her hand and Aleena looked for the iron filings but she felt them before she saw them. So she hadn't turned everything back?

A knife tore into her thigh and she then saw four more flying towards her from behind. She screamed in pain as the first twisted in her leg. The others thudded into her legs and arms. There was no way she could stand and fight anymore; the fight was over. It was up to the others now.

* * *

 **How will all the battles come out in the end? Will Rachel's ego ever recover? Is Leon alright? Damn, Alice is back and strong as ever!**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	29. Chapter 28: Not a Good Idea

Iceangemon thrust his staff into the ground. "Frozen Throne." He turned to Len and Zalyea. "Try not to fall over."

Len watched him fly forwards as a small humanoid Digimon burst out with a blue metal bird helmet on its head. With wings and feathers adorning the pale blue skin of the body, it looked like a creepy cross between a bluebird and a pre-teen girl.

"Baernmon!" The Digimon flew at Iceangemon, the jetpack on its back bursting into action.

"Gaiamon!" Gaiamon winked at Zalyea. "I'm here, yo!"

"Vipermon!" A large green snake, easily seven foot in length slithered across the ground with the horn of its bone helmet pointing at them.

"Hand of Emotion!" Iceangemon unleashed a beam of blue energy from his fist at Baernmon but the latter avoided it, flying around behind Iceangemon.

"Wind Torrent!" From the open mouth of the helmet, a tornado of wind burst out, throwing Iceangemon backwards. "Rocketgirl!" She twirled around and flew at Gaiamon like an arrow.

"Earthquake!" Gaiamon slapped her foot off the ground, causing it to shake and the ice to crack and chunks to fly up into the air. She smacked chunks of ice at Baernmon but the bird Digimon nimbly flew through them all.

"Bone Horn!" Vipermon fired the horn from the helmet.

Gaiamon leapt into the air to avoid the attack but was struck down by Baernmon's head-butt, flying straight back into the ground.

"Guys, use some teamwork!" Len yelled. This wasn't working. They were being destroyed, just like Tyler and he had thought.

"They know that, fool, but it ain't no use if they ain't got the manpower!" Zalyea shook her head. "Honestly. And you s'posed to be smart."

"Ignore her. Fool is wrong!" Gaiamon got up and Iceangemon flew next to her. "We got this!" Gaiamon leapt forwards.

"Fear Induce!" Vipermon's eyes glistened with red sparkles and then two red lasers flew towards them.

"Angel Ice!" Iceangemon's staff formed a shield and he pushed back against the attack, growling. "Len, I won't let you get hurt!"

"What about me?" Zalyea yelled.

"I got you!" Gaiamon said before turning back to their opponents. "Darkness." Everything disappeared, there was not a speck of light, just sound.

Len could hear movement, it sounded like slithering. "Constrict!" The darkness vanished and it was revealed that Vipermon was wrapped around Gaiamon's tongue, which was in turn wrapped around Baernmon.

"Hand of Emotion!" Iceangemon's energy beam struck Baernmon as Gaiamon let go of the bird Digimon and retracted her tongue rapidly with Vipermon still attached.

Baernmon flew back to Tony and Trish, bouncing off the ground.

Gaiamon bounded backwards and winked at Zalyea.

"Two against one, I guess." Len looked back at Tony and Trish. Why hadn't they attacked? If they were just like Aleena and Rori then they would be able to beat up both him and Zalyea with ease. So, the question remained, why weren't they?

"I ain't ever doubted ya; that was just to make you move!" Zalyea gave her partner a thumbs up.

"Focus your attacks on the humans!" Patricia ordered sternly.

Baernmon seemed to reluctantly obey the order, waving her hand. "Minefield." Little metal discs appeared all over the area and the ones near them exploded instantly.

Len screamed in anguish. The intense heat filled his senses and then he thudded against the ground and coughed as he was felt all his energy disappear. Burning sensations covered his body and he realised quickly that parts of his clothing had been singed away. He lay back, looking up at the sky as he heard more explosions. Suddenly, the sky turned black.

"Wind Torrent!"

Len expected Gaiamon and Iceangemon to respond but he suddenly found himself blown about and sharp blades of wind cut his skin brutally until the darkness faded.

Len groaned and tried to assess his injuries but he knew they were bad without checking. Sitting up slowly, he saw Gaiamon's furious glare as Zalyea lay on the ground, unmoving.

The ground shook violently as Gaiamon's anger took control of her abilities and everyone was thrown about like dolls.

While trying to stay standing, Len saw Iceangemon launch an attack from the sky.

"Hand of Emotion!"

"Wind torrent." The attack flew at Len directly. There was no time to escape.

"Angel Ice." Iceangemon flew in front of the attack and his staff turned into a shield, blocking the attack and then turned into a spiked chain. It darted at Baernmon faster than the little Digimon could evade and wrapped around her tightly and then threw her at the ground so hard she burst through the metal surface and into the wires beneath.

"Hand of Emotion!"

Gaiamon spat out Vipermon and then her drill began to glow. "Drill Bore!"

Vipermon crashed into Baernmon. Both attacks chased them, exploding on impact and blowing open a huge chunk of the metal surface.

Gaiamon leapt back, landing next to Zalyea and Len realised it must be safe enough to finally move.

He ran over too, worried about his friend. "Zaylee!"

Gaiamon looked down solemnly. "Zalyea, fool, I'm so sorry, babe!"

Zalyea started coughing as Len reached her and then smiled, getting up. "I'm fine." She coughed once more and then got to her feet. "'S nothing."

"You had me worried, fool," Gaiamon whispered softly.

"You had me worried you weren't gonna win!" They all started laughing but as the smoke cleared they saw Tony and Trish walking through. Trish swung a gun idly round her finger while Tony carried a metal bat over his shoulder.

"Things have looked better," Len muttered.

~.~.~

"So, grandma, you think you can get through me?" Alex looked at her, grinning.

"I'm your age, idiot!" Rachel screeched. Turning to the guards, she said, "Lower your weapons and go after them. I'll deal with this rat personally."

They ran at Alex, pushing him over as they ran past.

"Hey, no!" Alex yelled, feeling helpless. "I'm supposed to be stopping you! Stop!" he reached after them but they didn't even look back. He felt his cheeks burn with anger and embarrassment. "That wasn't very fair!"

"Whatever, small stuff. It's between me and you now."

Her Digimon burst back out, having changed dramatically. It was bigger, pink and had white discs spinning around it, forming an 'X' across its face. Pink lightning flickered from the discs, and it spoke. "Golaumon."

Alex looked down at his Digivice. "Not much point using my Digivice. I think it's best to just beat her."

"Kotturmon!" The cat Digimon arched her back and stretched.

Kotturmon looked over at the Digimon and then back at Alex. "Don't worry, Alex, the bigger they are…" She picked him up in her mouth and tossed him onto her head.

It was a little disorientating but he managed to finish the phrase. "The harder they fall." He rubbed his head and grabbed onto her fur tightly.

"This won't be your average merry-go-round." Kotturmon darted forwards in a zigzag pattern, nearly throwing him off already. "Swipe!" Flames swirled around Kotturmon's paw as she swung it at the pink orb Digimon.

"Teleport." Suddenly it was gone.

Alex heard crackling from behind and saw Golaumon floating in the air behind them. "Kotturmon!"

"I know," Kotturmon growled, spinning and swiping again.

"Teleport." Golaumon began to laugh. "This will be easy, Rachel."

"Good work!" Rachel cheered.

Kotturmon crouched low and then thrusted into the air and opened her mouth. "Flame Balls!" The fire on her fur flew into the air, forming flaming rain all around the area. "Flame Cannon!" A spiral of fire snaked from her mouth, shooting straight at Golaumon.

"Light Beam!" Golaumon's body shone brightly and then a beam of light emerged from her body, colliding with the flaming tornado. The attacks exploded on collision, sucking in all the air around and extinguishing the raining fire.

Kotturmon landed a few meters away. "Clever." It was difficult to tell what his partner was thinking but he could tell she wouldn't let it go that someone had outsmarted her.

"I will deal with you just like the other problematic Digimon in the past. Total annihilation," Golaumon replied.

Alex looked around but there wasn't anything they could use to win easily. "Kotturmon? Can we separate the two of them, do you think?"

A white-hot laser flew at them and Kotturmon dodged the side. "Perhaps. Why?"

"If I'm fighting Rachel, maybe her partner will be distracted enough for you to win." Fighting a girl totally wasn't cool but no one had to know. And he would go easy on her.

Golaumon roared, "Light Beam!" From above a beam of white energy flew down.

Kotturmon leapt up and away, avoiding the attack and coming face to face with Golaumon. "Flame Cannon!"

"Teleport." The fire snaked off into the sky aimlessly as the orb Digimon appeared on the ground away from them.

Kotturmon landed gently. "Leave it to me." Jumping up, she spun so she was facing the other way. "Hold on tight, Alex. Flame Cannon!" She began to corkscrew, making it virtually impossible to stay on her. Right now, she was more like a flaming arrow than a Digimon, flying straight at Golaumon.

Alex's face flew about like it was made of jelly and he was sure he had peed himself.

"Teleport!" Golaumon appeared to the side. "Light—"

Kotturmon swiped at Golaumon, making her retreat further. "Flame Balls!" The fire from her coat spread out in every direction as she revolved. "Now, Alex!"

Leaping off, Alex landed on Rachel with a thud as fire hit the ground all around them. It became quickly apparent why this idea was stupid when she booted him back off her so hard he was sure she had broken a rib. He fell onto the floor and she leapt on him, punching him repeatedly in the face until he couldn't see straight.

Stepping up, Rachel walked off.

His quickly swelling cheeks made working out where she was even harder but he had to persevere. Alex rolled over—his face throbbing with every breath—and grabbed her ankle, tugging her over. She yelped as she hit the ground and he punched her in the stomach before getting up and staggering backwards. That would surely keep her down. He wiped the blood from his broken nose and tried to spot Kotturmon.

"Light Beam!"

Kotturmon landed in front of him, flicking her tail in frustration.

"Kotturmon!" Alex yelled, his hazy vision becoming clearer.

"Alex, look after yourself. I'm not going to let a bouncy ball beat me." Kotturmon leapt out of the way at the last second, spewing flames from her mouth as she did.

A fist crashed into the side of Alex's head and he fell over as Rachel dove on top. "Focus on me." Rachel gripped him by the neck and squeezed tightly. "I'll be the last face you ever see."

Alex grasped at her hands as his head swam with thoughts and flashes of his life. Squeezing at her wrists, he tugged but the hands wouldn't budge. He gasped for air, his chest screaming, but there was none to be found.

As he began to see nothing but a dim light in the centre of his vision, it all stopped and he gulped down the air greedily, trying to fill his lungs. He wasn't sure how but he was saved. Getting onto his hands and knees, he coughed vehemently, trying his best to recover so he could work out what happened. As he tried to look over to where he could still hear fighting, he fell onto his side. Rachel was… Kotturmon was squeezing her in her tail.

"You want your partner to live? Then beat me!" Kotturmon said, leaping into the air and unleashing a torrent of fire from her mouth.

"I'll destroy you! Light Beam!" Golaumon's attack collided with Kotturmon's and then Kotturmon looked back at Alex.

"Alex, keep an eye on her." She tossed Rachel's limp body at the ground and then sprinted around the explosion caused by the collision of the two attacks.

"Teleport." Golaumon appeared above Kotturmon. "Orbital!" The discs on her body detached and flew at Kotturmon.

Kotturmon charged forwards, the discs grazing her back as she slipped through them but then they curved back, flying into her sides, cutting deep into the data of her flanks before returning to Golaumon. Kotturmon screamed in pain, data swirling off her body. She limped away, trying to recover.

Golaumon floated down behind Kotturmon, her energy body pulsating. "Light Beam!" The attack struck Kotturmon and then Golaumon turned to Alex. "I'll make you pay for what your partner did."

~.~.~

"Corinne?" Lummosmon looked down at her.

Corinne couldn't take her eyes off their opponents. This was such a gross mismatch that she was terrified. There was no way Lummosmon could fight both of them and she couldn't help her. "Lummosmon, I'll keep him busy." Corinne closed her eyes, gulping back the fear, and snapped her fingers. The warmth covered her and then she opened her eyes again. She was in no rush to fight him, but she was also sure she had to act soon.

King ran forwards abruptly and so did Calmoonmon. "Lummosmon!" Corinne ran backwards, heading back towards the hallway they entered from.

"Shine Bright!" Lummosmon fired off several white lasers as Corinne stood back, hoping that would be the end of it.

King leapt over Lummosmon as Calmoonmon swung her leg at Corinne's partner, who blocked it just about. He continued to run at her until he was just meters away and then leapt through the air again, raising his fist.

Corinne leapt to the side, avoiding the punch, but she wasn't expecting the foot that crashed into the small of her back as she ran away. The sheer force of the strike threw her across the room, where she lay watching Lummosmon and Calmoonmon fight.

"Crescent Moon Crush!" Calmoonmon leapt into the air, her leg glistening purple.

Lummosmon moved backwards slightly but not fast enough and ended up being caught by the attack and also thrown back.

"Lummosmon!" Corinne yelled, fearing her partner was already seriously injured. Why had she agreed to this? It was stupid!

"Worry about yourself, I'm fine!" Lummosmon insisted, getting back up.

"Just be careful, okay!" Corinne yelled, getting back up.

King sighed and then ran at her. "Why won't you just stay down!?"

"I'm fighting for my friends!" Corinne yelled, feeling angry that he would challenge her.

Ducking under his punch, she moved around his back and jumped back as he swung again at her. She already knew too well what would happen if one of those attacks connected.

"I will defend Corinne!" Lummosmon ran at Calmoonmon, swinging her staff.

"Moonlight Dance!" Calmoonmon snapped her fingers and her hands and feet were enveloped in pink flames, all four appendages releasing misty music notes.

"Pretty…" Lummosmon sighed.

"Lummosmon!" Corinne yelled as she ran from King.

Lummosmon nodded and held her staff horizontally. "Divine Tooth!" She froze for a second and then pointed her staff. "Shine Bright!" Yellow lasers began to fly at Calmoonmon but the latter leapt into the air and punched, unleashing a ball of cherry red flames.

"Ignore them. You have to beat me." King grabbed her by the shoulder and lifted her up.

Corinne screamed as pain tore through her shoulder bone due to his large hand squeezing it. Writhing about in his grasp, she tried to force her way free but he wasn't budging. She was going to have to hit him—even if it went against everything she believed in.

Striking fast, and hard, she thrust her fingertips into his throat and he dropped her immediately, backing off and coughing. Corinne looked down at her hands and remembered the last time she had used the martial arts her grandfather had taught her. Shaking her head, she ran away from King, hoping to gain some distance as she heard Lummosmon and Calmoonmon collide repeatedly with thumps and booms.

Turning back, she saw Lummosmon swing her fist up covered in a bright white light. It collided with Calmoonmon's chin and threw her into the air.

Calmoonmon, undeterred, threw her arms and legs forwards, unleashing four balls of cherry pink fire.

Lummosmon blocked them with her staff but the explosion was still enough to throw the fairy Digimon backwards.

As Calmoonmon landed, the two charged at each other again, not waiting a moment.

King walked forwards. "Run. While you still can."

"I'm not letting you hurt my friends!" Corinne yelled as the sounds of rapid hand to hand combat echoed in the background.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you. If you stay and fight, then I don't know how far I'll have to go before I can stop. If I…" King paused. "You're innocent. Just let Kayran go about his business and it'll all be okay," he pleaded.

She looked at his expression and could see the sincerity. However, surely they were trained to fake everything. "I won't fall for your tricks!"

"This is bigger than you, or me, or even Leomon. What _we_ do _here_ won't affect the outcome. Lord Kayran aims to—" He stopped talking, grasping his ears and falling to his knees.

Corinne instinctively moved to help him but Calmoonmon appeared at his side.

"Shine Bright!" The lasers struck Calmoonmon, throwing her across the room and into the wall.

"King, just obey the orders!" Calmoonmon yelled as she pushed herself up.

King shook his head, looking at the ground. "I don't want to hurt innocent people."

Calmoonmon stood up, running at Lummosmon. "King, this was the only reason we were reunited! Don't let them take me again. I can't be without you!"

"I won't let it happen." King stood up slowly but surely and looked at Corinne with dead, black eyes. "I'm sorry but I won't go easy on you anymore."

Lummosmon flew at her opponent. "Holy Strike!" She swung her glistening staff but Calmoonmon flipped over it and back flipped away, taking their fight over the other side of the room.

King burst forwards and swung his fist, leaving Corinne little time to dodge before he threw another. He continued to swing again and again, and she knew that he was going to beat the instinctive reflexes that the First Vector gave her. A fist flew straight into her face and she was thrown across the room and into the southern wall as blood exploded out of her face in equal amounts to the pain that ricocheted through her skull. Even pausing to think broke the automatic response. Then the thumping of boots on the ground, lots of them, and lots of men in suits burst into the room.

All was truly lost now. She couldn't even escape from King, let alone all of these guys.

King charged straight at her without looking at them but as they got in his way, he dived into the group and loosed off two quick punches and kicks, knocking a few of them out straight away and then used one of the men as a pommel horse before knocking him out and finishing off the rest with a few well-placed strikes.

A gun went off and Corinne covered her head, terrified. She breathed rapidly, trying to work out if she had been shot. Her face was already covered in blood so it was difficult to see anything really. However, an abrupt loud roar indicated it wasn't her. Looking up, she saw King holding his arm as he booted the final guard into a wall. It was awful, but she was glad he was hurt in the hopes it would delay him and then he turned back to her and she remembered what his First Vector was as the bullet popped out of his arm.

A loud collision between the two Digimon over the other side of the room unleashed shockwaves and blistering winds, making it difficult for Corinne just to stay standing. She watched the two exchange blows briefly before seeing King frowning at her.

"You should have run while you could." He slowly began to walk forwards. This was not good.

~.~.~

"Whirlwind!" Gusts of wind flew down at them.

Rori looked to her reliable and silent partner as she burst from her egg and twirled around.

"Chrysanthemon." The wind swirled into the turbine on her back, spinning it faster and faster. Pirouetting, she pointed with her arms at Warhawkmon. "Incapacitator." A multitude of blue lasers burst from the turbine, bending around her to attack Warhawkmon from all over.

"An improvement." Cory shrugged.

"Shocker!" Warhawkmon unleashed the rockets from his wings, using them to shield himself from the beams attacking from the front. The remaining ones crashed into the side of Warhawkmon but he was completely unmoved by the attack.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face!" Rori yelled, leaping onto Chrysanthemon's back.

Chrysanthemon flew into the air, holding her arms out to the side, and said, "Leaf Dance." Foliage appeared around her and Warhawkmon and then the leaves around her flew at Warhawkmon while the others tightened around him in attempt to trap the bird Digimon.

Warhawkmon flapped his wings, blowing them away and causing them to explode before they were anywhere near him. The explosions formed a hasty smoke screen, blocking their view.

"Cheap tricks won't save you!" Rori yelled, withdrawing her pole and expanding it as she leapt into the smoke and spun it around herself. Jabbing as she saw a black flicker in the smoke, she felt it connect with something solid. Whatever it was fell through the smoke and out of it as Rori fell too. There, she discovered it was Cory, and saw Chrysanthemon and Warhawkmon struggling above as the two of them fell.

Spinning her pole as she fell to slow her descent a little, she watched Cory throw out several grappling hooks until the ropes formed a cross above the courtyard. The makeshift swing caught him a few meters above the ground. She too, landed on it gracefully, and then swung her pole at him.

He blocked it with ease, raising his leg up into her chest. "Too slow."

She staggered backwards, trying to catch her breath but he was too quick and thrust a palm into her chest, throwing her off the ropes and onto the ground with a painful thud. Any higher and she would have definitely broken something, but as it was, she felt mostly fine.

Cory leapt down, booting Rori in the face as she tried to clamber to her feet. Unable to stop herself skidding across the grass, she watched him leap at her. He brought his foot down but she managed to roll to the side, getting to her feet before he could continue the assault.

"Nice." Cory withdrew an object from his waist and flicked it down to turn it into a metal baton. He began to walk towards her with a sadistic grin. "Shame I'm not."

* * *

 **It's not looking good for Rori or Corinne! Will Kotturmon's sass help her recover? Len and Zalyea seem to be holding their own for now. Or do they?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	30. Chapter 29: A Promise

"We can still delay them by torturing them, right, Tony?" Trish asked as they nonchalantly walked over.

"I guess." Tony looked at the gun she was idly swinging in her hand unsurely.

"Don't back down now!" Vipermon leapt out of the hole, injured but mostly fine and Baernmon followed soon after.

"Yo, delay us for what?" Zalyea yelled. What on earth were they on about?  
"Just stay back, Zaylee," Len warned.

Tony pointed his bat. "We gotta delay you so Lord Kayran can run a few experiments on—"

Trish punched him in the arm. "Shut up, Tony. You never start monologuing. It's pathetic."

"Sorry, Trish," Tony mumbled as they stopped a little away from Len and Zalyea.

"Baernmon, you and Vipermon finish off these pathetic excuses for Digimon. We'll take care of the owners."

"Yes, Trish." Baernmon shot at Zalyea like a bullet. "Rocketgirl!"

Gaiamon dived in the way, spitting out a glob of spit.

"Wind Torrent!" Baernmon unleashed blades of wind, cutting through the spit as she turned mid-air and flew back away.

"Coward!" Gaiamon slapped her webbed foot. "Face me!"

Vipermon leapt up into the air. "Fear Induce!" Red lasers flew out towards Gaiamon.

Iceangemon flew in front of the attack and held out his staff. "Angel Ice!" The staff morphed into a shield which deflected the lasers straight back.

Vipermon dodged and fired the attack again.

"Fool, that won't work!" Gaiamon yelled, laughing.

Baernmon flew up and over Iceangemon's shield. "Wind Torrent!" The attack pushed Iceangemon into the ground, forcing his shield to drop and the lasers to strike Gaiamon square in the mouth.

"Yo, you gonna pay!" Gaiamon bounded through the air, her tongue flying out at Vipermon.

Vipermon dodged, unleashing a beam of red energy.

"Minefield!" Mines appeared all around Iceangemon and as both Len and Zalyea ran, they exploded and data orbs flew out from the smoke.

"Iceangemon!" Len yelled, running forwards instinctively. Why wasn't he thinking?

Zalyea ran after him and as the smoke cleared, she saw that Iontramon lay on the ground, unable to continue fighting.

"Maybe we should just call it a draw," Tony muttered.

"Shut up, Tony!" Vipermon leapt to the side as Gaiamon's tongue flew at her again. "Fear Induce!"

Gaiamon took the full brunt of the lasers, skidding backwards. "Yo, I've had enough of this!" Gaiamon planted her feet on the ground. "Darkness!"

The dark fell and Zalyea felt a little afraid, as always.

"Drill Bore!" Fizzing. Was that electricity?

"Earthquake!" The ground began to shake but it seemed rhythmic and controlled, unlike last time.

Zalyea got down low, feeling around for Len. "Are you and Iontramon okay?" Zalyea called, reaching around until she felt something.

A hand touched hers and she jumped. "Iontramon would speak but you're touching him and you know how he feels about girls."

"Sorry."

There was a lot of thudding and then the darkness disappeared. Zalyea looked around for her partner, or even the opponent, but neither were visible. All that she could see were the flailing electric wires coming from the plethora of fresh holes. And then she realised what must have happened. Running over to a large central hole, she looked down and saw Gaimon, a little bird Digimon and a little snake Digimon in the hole. Dodging a flying electrical wire, she reached in and grabbed Gaimon. "Gaimon, you a fool." Running back as Tony rushed over, she stopped next to Len as he placed Iontramon down gently. "Maybe we should run, yo, this looks bad." Gaimon swirled into her Digivice but Len seemed to be elsewhere.

Tony picked up the other two Digimon carefully and held them to his chest, a tear rolling down his cheek before he set them down safely on the ground and clenched his fists angrily.

Len grabbed a chunk of rubble and hurled it at them, striking Patricia on the temple and cutting it open.

"You brat!" She yelled, disgust plastered across her face.

"Len, what do we do?" Zalyea whispered. They couldn't fight, at least, not well. And their Digimon were out of action.

Len gulped. "Hold them off." He looked at her, his face betraying his terror. "Like we promised."

Trish looked up at the huge mountain of a man that was Tony. "Tony, you take care of the girl. I'm going to make that kid never forget the time he hit me."

"I'll smash her face in." Tony sprinted over, swinging the bat wildly. He had completely lost it!

"Len, run!" Zalyea yelled, turning around and running away but Len didn't. "Len!" She stopped, looking back, but regretted it as Tony reached her and swung the baseball bat. She ducked underneath it, bending backwards almost in half until she fell onto her back. "Look, we didn' mean it!" Zalyea protested, holding up her hands.

Tony hesitated. "You didn't?"

"No, but I mean _this_!" She thrust her leg up into his groin, making him keel over and then leapt to her feet.

Zalyea reached down and grabbed hold of the bat, prying it from his grip and began to hit him, with what might she could muster, until she was out of breath. She looked down at Tony and he wasn't moving, bar the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Dropping the bat, she staggered backwards. She had just done that… that bloody mess… she did it. In all the time they had been doing this she had never had to something like that. Looking at it made her feel physically ill. Keeling over, she hurled up the contents of her stomach.

"Zalyea, help!" Len!

She snapped her head in his direction and saw Trish on top of him, pointing her gun at Len's head. Grabbing the bat, she ran over, yelling to draw that evil woman's attention.

Trish looked over and smirked, moving the gun from Len's face and pointing it towards her.

Zalyea froze. She had never had a gun pointed at her. What could she do? This was literally going to be the end of her life. The loud crack as the bullet exploded out of the barrel in a flash of light. Her mind flickered back to her mum, in this of all times. Why was she thinking about that stupid woman? Then her sister and her brother.

"Zalyea!" Zalyea looked back at Len as he wrestled with Trish, both hands on the wrist she had used to fire.

Trish struggled, trying to force the gun back towards Len with both of her hands. "I'm going to blow those pretty little brains right out of your head."

Zalyea patted herself down. It had missed. Len had saved her. "I'm coming!" As she reached Trish, she swung the bat, cracking it across Trish's face and knocking her off Len. She dived for the gun as it skidded across the floor, grabbing it before Trish could.

"Insolent girl!" Trish booted her in the stomach, winding her and Zalyea felt her grip loosen on the gun.

She couldn't call for help, she had to hope Len would just come.

Sure enough, Len leapt at Trish, knocking her over. "Zalyea, throw it away!"

Zalyea, barely able to stand as she regained her breath, tossed the gun across the strange floating island as far as it would go. As it hit the ground, it fired off a shot. Luckily, it was in the other direction.

From behind, she felt a fist crash into the back of her head and everything went black and fuzzy. As she regained full control, she realised that Trish was dragging her across the floor by her hair. Screaming and kicking, she tried to fight her way free as tears ran down her face but it was to no avail.

As they reached a wall, Trish thrust her up against it and grinned sadistically. "Silly girl."

Zalyea felt a low thump in her abdomen and then an intense pain followed by a series of repetitive jabs to her kidneys and then several to her face as she slumped down, no longer being held up by herself or Trish. Blood and barely able to see, she spat out a glob of spit and looked up at Trish as she stepped back.

"Die here." And then Trish's big black boot flew into her face.

~.~.~

Len got up, wiping the blood away from his bust lip but was shocked when he saw Zalyea's state. "How could you?" he yelled, furious.

"Poor little baby," she teased as she walked over, shaking the blood off her fists. How dare she? This was so casual! "You gonna cry? Does baba need a tissue?" She smirked annoyingly. "Don't worry, you're next. I don't do preferential treatment."

He felt his fists ball up involuntarily and his cheeks flare up in anger. Usually, he was able to keep calm but this was different. She had hurt someone he cared about. "I'll make you pay!"

"Show me what you've got, kid!" Trish charged at him, leaping and swinging her foot as soon as she was near.

Len ducked but a follow up strike straight into his abdomen caused him to spit sputum all over the ground; she had winded him in just one blow.

Trish laughed and booted him over onto his back and then climbed on top of him.

"You clearly didn't think this through, kiddo. Entering our base without permission; it was a death wish, even if you brought those _traitors_ with you. Lord Kayran will not be beaten by some silly inner-city kids." She moved closer all the while, her breath warm on his neck and her words like venom. "That's a nice jugular." She traced it with her sharp manicured talons. "It would be a shame if it got an itsy." The claw pushed into his neck, drawing blood and he began to panic but she was holding his arms down with her knees. "Bitsy." The talon dragged across his neck and he felt the blood trickle down onto the ground. "Cut!" She raised her claw, bringing it down.

Len wriggled at the last second and felt the claw scratch along the side of his neck, warm blood dribbling down and onto the floor now.

"Why you!" Trish exclaimed.

Growling, he threw her off himself while she was unfocussed. "You're evil!"

Trish looked at Len with contempt. "Don't think I won't make you pay."

Getting up, he ran at her and dived on top of her. Grabbing hold of her arm, he moved it swiftly, tugging with every single bit of strength he had, until he felt it slide out of the joint. His training as a junior paramedic was definitely not intended for this purpose, but right now it was his only way out.

Trish screamed, cursing loudly as she gripped at her arm. "You little freak! I'll make you regret this!" She breathed deeply through the pain, moving her arm about. He didn't have long before she relocated it by the look of things.

Staggering back, he looked at Iontramon and frowned at the sorry state he was in. "I'm so sorry," he whispered tearfully. "I promise I won't ever hurt you again." He looked down at his fists, clenching them as the tears fell onto them. "But I will hurt her." Looking up, he searched for Trish but couldn't find her.

"Poor boy, I'll wipe those tears for you." From behind him! He turned just in time for her to grip hold of his throat tightly and toss him onto the ground. His back throbbed as she leapt on him again, pinning him down harder this time. "That really hurt you know." She looked at her arm and then back at him. "But guess what else will." She withdrew a knife from her boot. Winking, she said, "This."

He had never quite felt fear like this. Was she going to kill him? She seemed so happy—gleeful. This wasn't right. He couldn't die here! "Stop, please!" Len yelled. "I'll do anything."

"Music to my ears." She leant closer to him, grinning. "Keep begging, and throw in a little screaming too. It gives me something nice to dream about later."

"Please!" Len begged, tears rolling down his cheeks now as he struggled against her steadfast grip. This time he couldn't even wriggle slightly. He wanted to be strong, to spite her, but he couldn't.

"So weak. Such a freak, really. It's strange that those two would side with you, even if they are traitors." Leaning close, she whispered in his ear. "Little Len, do you like surprises?"

Len shook his head, crying. "No, please. Just let us go!"

"This will only hurt a bit." She placed the knife onto his forehead and began to carve away at the skin.

Len screamed in agony. His forehead was on fire, each cut threw him further into some sort of hell. The hot blood poured down his face, blinding him and dripping into his mouth and ears. As the knife scraped across his forehead, it was all he could do to stay conscious. He screamed and sobbed but she wouldn't stop. She was laughing, enjoying this. The blade stopped but the burning and blood continued.

"Pretty as a picture. Now you have something to show your friends." He could see her through his own blood, but it was sticky and made it hard to keep his eyes open. She was sat up, her head cocked to the side as if she was in an art gallery. "Now, let's do some more art." And then Trish flew off him.

Len looked to the side, almost delirious and barely conscious. Zalyea?

Zalyea smashed a metal bat repeatedly into Trish's head and body until the latter ceased to move. She threw the bat at Trish, it bouncing off her face with a sickening crunch, and then turned around. Moving over to him, Zalyea gasped and tears filled her eyes. "L. L…" She touched his forehead and he felt shooting pain so great he involuntarily spasmed. "Len. Those idiots who can't tell the difference between The Sun and a lightbulb. They did this?"

Len nodded slowly, feeling himself tear up.

"We'll get you cleaned up! It'll be okay!" Zalyea nodded, choking on her words. "It'll be okay." Gripping his hand, she said, "I didn't forget the promise we made each other in Japan."

 _—.—.—_

Chunks of building fell all around them as they stood amidst the chaos.

"I'm in charge, just listen to me!" Zalyea yelled, her torn green vest top showing the cuts across her skin. Her legs were bleeding into her trainers and her hair hung messy around her face, the bobble that held it in a bun long ago snapped.

He wasn't looking much better. His blue shirt was missing the sleeves and torn up, revealing his cold pale skin underneath and his baggy shorts were torn all up the left leg, following the bruising and cuts on the leg itself. Both Iontramon and Gaimon were beat up too, but still standing while the city around them burned and crumbled.

"You listen to me, I should be in charge! My plans always work better!" he yelled back angrily as their partners kept watch for attackers.

"I'm older!" Zalyea folded her arms.

"Yo, we got trouble incoming," Gaimon called.

"Can you Digivolve?" Zalyea asked but Gaimon shook her head in response. "We fight anyway."

"Are you stupid? We have to get away before they get here!" How could she be so dense? Did she want to die?

The attackers in question were a mixture of humans—with blank white eyes and gormless expressions—and Digimon with the same vacant expression. A grey hare-like Digimon leapt at them but Iontramon leapt up and head-butted the Gazimon away.

The frog Digimon's drill flew from her back, impaling another Gazimon that had gotten too close, turning it to data. "Quick, fools!"

"Fight!" How on earth she hadn't killed herself before now was a mystery.

"Run!" he yelled, louder.

"Frivolous fighting will get us nowhere." Iontramon sighed.

"Shut up!" the two yelled in unison.

Len yelled, "Don't tell my Digimon what to do!"

The girl shoved him forcefully. "Don't tell me what to do, Len!"

He opened his mouth to retaliate but noticed that the crowd had reached them and before he could stop them, the amorphous blob of zombies took Zalyea.

"Zalyea!" Gaimon leapt into the crowd but was thrown back.

"Zalyea!" Len yelled and then everything hurt.

 _—.—.—_

Gaimon tugged Zalyea away from the crowd as it left. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Len?" Zalyea asked, groggy. "Why didn't he even try to save me?" While she was annoyed that he hadn't helped her, nearly being killed by those crazy idiots had shown her that maybe she had been a bit rash and could let him have a say before she told him to shut up.

"I'll go look." Gaimon bounded away.

Zalyea got to her feet and looked around. The whole place was a mess and everything hurt. Building had crumbled, cars were overturned and smashed up, the road was littered with holes and street signs were strewn across the floor. Why on earth Tyler had thought it was a good idea to come here to Japan and help in the effort to fight back a group of infected Digimon was beyond her. She would much rather be home in bed watching TV. Not to mention the fact that the infection had somehow spread to people. No way in hell did she want to get turned into some crazy zombie.

"Zalyea, come quick!"

She ran over, following the sound of the voice, until she reached a large chunk of a fallen building that Gaimon was in front of. "Round here." She bounded back around the rubble. Where was Len? Had this crazy frog forgot what they were doing?

Zalyea walked around the rock to get a better look at whatever it was and then felt sick.

Iontramon was passed out on the ground next to Len's head and Len's upper body was being simultaneously crushed and impaled by the mass above him. Rushing over, Zalyea heaved and pushed the rock but it was too big for her to move alone.

"Gaimon, can you drill some off?"

"I'll try but you keep safe. I ain't drilling twice." Gaimon's drill flew at the rock and began tearing through it slowly.

A while later, the rock was a shadow of its former self. "That should do it." Zalyea moved closer, stepping up to the rock and placed her hands on it firmly but felt her shoes squelch and stick to the ground as she tried to gain footing. Looking down, she saw that she was stood in blood. Len's blood. "Len!" She let go of the rock and knelt down, placing her hand on his cheek.

"We have to move it quick," Gaimon insisted, drilling away more at the rock.

"He'll get hurt!" Zalyea protested, hugging his lifeless head.

"If we don't free him, then he'll die anyway, yo!"

Zalyea breathed deeply. That was ultimately true. "Cut it some more and I'll try again." Zalyea longed to hug him and tell him it would be okay but she had to try and free him to do that.

Gaimon made short work of the rock, leaving just the pole behind. Now, every time Len breathed—not that he was doing it much—the pole shook and the wound bled profusely.

"I don't know what to do!" Zalyea screamed. How could she make this decision?

"Lift it out, fool! I know we'll get help in time!"

"What if they don't?" Zalyea screeched. Then she paused and silence fell. This was not like her. If there was one thing she did, it was believe and hope that it would all be okay. But this situation was hopeless.

"Don't give up on him; he wouldn't give up on you, fool! Move it and he gets a chance!"

Zalyea muttered, "I'm scared." Reaching up, she touched the pole gingerly.

"That's what I'm here for, fool!" Gaimon moved next to her. "Ready?"  
"Wait!"

"What, fool?"

Zalyea looked the pole up and down. "Can you cut the pole really small?"

Gaimon frowned. "Maybe. Hold the bottom end still, yo." The drill hovered off her back, floating near the pole.

"Got it." Zalyea gripped the pole at the bottom and then with a loud snap, a chunk of pole flew away, clattering on the ground.

Holding her hands on his chest, she clamped them down as blood trickled out through her fingers. "It'll be okay, Len. I promise."

Did he just? She watched again and saw his eyelids flutter slightly. He was alive still!

His eyes flickered open he growled in pain. Through an sharp intake of breath, he asked, "Zalyea?"

"Save your strength. I'll get Ty here soon." She stroked his face, flicking the hairs from his sweating forehead.

"I'm sorry—" Len screamed in agony, his hands clamping down on Zalyea's. "We fought."

Zalyea laughed, holding back her tears. "Shut up, it's my fault you're like this."  
Breathless, he replied, "No, it's mine."

"You two is like a bad TV show." Gaimon sighed. "We near the big thing that's falling!" Gaimon was on the phone to them.

"I promise I won't ever let you get hurt again." Zalyea felt the salty taste tickle her tongue as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Just promise we'll always be together and it won't matter if we're hurt." Len smiled. "Because we'll have each other."

Zalyea sniffed. "Promise."

 _—.—.—_

The look of Kotturmon on the floor crushed Alex. They had let everyone down even when they had tried really hard. His vision began to turn black as he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and allowed his body to flop down onto the ground. He just hoped the others would forgive him.

~.~.~

Kotturmon opened a single eye as Golaumon flew over to her partner. "Rachel, wake up, it's over!"

"I knew it. We're not in RODAF because we're weak." Rachel coughed and stood up but swayed from side to side. She was ripe for the killing.

Pushing with her paws, she got up and then exploded into a sprint, pouncing through the air at them. "Swipe!" Using her flame covered paw, she bashed the white ball across the ground and into the office building, sending her through to the other side. People from inside screamed and ran out but Kotturmon ignored them. "Flame Cannon!" The pressure from the attack destroyed the ground beneath it as the spiralling pillar of flames flew at Golaumon. As it collided with her, she disappeared into a huge flaming ball. The office workers covered their heads, running away. Pathetic humans. So combustible.

Kotturmon turned to Rachel, baring her fangs. "I'll tear you into so many pieces that not even a magnifying glass can find you."

"Orbital!"

"Silly tricks don't work twice." Kotturmon leapt into the air, watching the discs follow her. "These stupid discs will meet the same end as you." Curling up into a ball, she allowed herself to fall into their pathway while spinning.

"Going on the defensive won't work!" Golaumon flew at her quickly.

Defensive? She had to be joking. Poking her head out, she roared, "Flame Cannon!" The flames spun her around faster and faster, turning her into a flaming disc. The flames cut straight through both discs, turning them into data. Hitting the ground hard, she felt the flames trickle off her body and smirked. "It's over."

"Teleport." Golaumon appeared next to her, beginning to glow brightly.

"Swipe!" Kotturmon brought her paw into the unsightly orb, sending it straight back where it came and then headed over to Rachel.

"I'm not afraid!" Rachel withdrew a gun.

Kotturmon laughed and slammed her paw down on Rachel, making sure that her claws were either side of the girl's fallen body. "You still feeling brave?"

Rachel growled, trying to free herself. "Get off."

"Call off the fight."

"Afraid you'll lose?" Rachel teased.

Moving her head down, Kotturmon watched Rachel try to writhe free. "I'll turn your partner into a Digi-egg."

"Light Beam!" The attack struck her before she could react and she was thrown across the metal ground.

"This might just be a fight I can really sink my teeth into." Kotturmon grinned mischievously. "I just have one request."

"It's unorthodox for prey to ask a favour of their predator, but I'll allow it." Golaumon floated up and down slightly.

"We both fight at one hundred percent. If you hold back, I'll annihilate you."

"Golaumon, ignore her. Just be safe and win," Rachel insisted.

"Just know this was your suggestion." Golaumon began to spark more ferociously. Pink energy prominences burst from her form and a white aura formed around her body.

Kotturmon didn't allow the fancy light show to deter her and instead exerted her own power. The flames she was exuding expanded, burning brighter and higher and making the air around her turn to steam. Clenching her claws, she crushed the ground beneath her and then surged forwards.

The trail of fire around her was the only indication of where she was. The flames had boosted her speed so much that she was struggling to keep up with herself visually. Diving at Golaumon from the side, she attacked. "Swipe!"

"Grand Luminescence!" Golaumon's body shone brightly, blinding Kotturmon completely and giving her sunspots in her vision.

"Teleport."

Damn. There was no way she could follow that stupid basketball. Whirling around, she tried to find it but no luck.

"Light Beam!"

Kotturmon heard the crackling from her right and jumped away as her vision returned. "Flame Balls!" As the fire rained outwards, she sucked it in through her open mouth.

"Light Beam!" Golaumon's whole body shone pink briefly before a pink laser erupted in place of the usual pale white colour.

Kotturmon landed and faced the attack. Opening her mouth, she felt the fire rumble in her belly. It was time. This would decide it. "Flame Cannon: Max Power!" The energy from both attacks was blistering until they finally collided. Kotturmon kept unleashing the fire, her bodily flames dimming down to almost nothing as she poured everything into the attack. Waves of light and fire flew out from the collision, decimating the ground around them until the two attacks exploded and threw everything away.

Kotturmon panted and struggled to stand. That explosion at such close range had been the most formidable attack she had ever felt between two Digimon. That was nearly all of her power; there was just enough for one more attack. Staggering through the waves of smoke, she spotted Golaumon floating ahead and looking exhausted. Pathetic.

Kotturmon ran at her, despite exhaustion, she was going to end this. She swung her good front paw. "Swipe!"

"Light Beam!"

Kotturmon's attack hit first and Golaumon turned back to a rookie in a flurry of data orbs. However, the energy from Golaumon's attack continued and hit Kotturmon before it faded away, turning her also back into a rookie.

Now Felismon again, she felt even more weak and useless but still clambered back up as Almon did.

"I look forward to our next fight." Almon floated for a second more and then she fell.

Felismon watched, thankful and sad that it was over. Spotting Rachel walking over to Alex, she flicked her tail. "Fireball." And knocked the girl onto her back. The whole ordeal was finally over.

She made her way over to Alex, but as she was just a few feet away she fell to the ground in exhaustion. He better appreciate this. Stupid boy.

* * *

 **Damn, poor Len! Trish is bad news. At least Felismon finally managed it though! I wonder what's happening with the others...**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	31. Chapter 30: No Alternative

"I'm sorry I was the one chosen to stand in your way, but I truly respect what you are trying to stand for." King cracked his neck. "And I wish you luck."

"If you respect me that much then stop fighting!" Corinne yelled. This was awful; her entire belief system was being challenged.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." King ran forwards and Corinne ran away, hoping to keep distance until he tired, as stupid as that sounded.

The two Digimon looked exhausted as Corinne ran past, making sure not to get too close to them as they recovered from their last exchange of blows. "Holy Strike!" a blast of light flew over Corinne's head, exploding the wall behind her as she continued running.

"Crescent Moon Crush!" The ground shook as the two Digimon exchanged another bout of luminous attacks.

The bright lights clashed again in her peripheral vision and then Kings fist swiped for her head.

Ducking underneath, Corinne rolled to the side, she just had to keep moving.

A firm grip on her ankle. Corinne spun, wide-eyed as he squeezed hard, lifting her up as she heard the sound of her bones breaking. Pain like she had never felt coursed through her lower leg and ankle. Quickly, she began to cry as the unbearable agony took over her sense of self.

And then he threw her into the air and the pain was very marginally alleviated.

Still dizzy from the pain and the blow to her head earlier, she watched as he swung his fist at her falling body. Reaching down, she grabbed onto the fist, and used it to push herself into the air and away from him.

Landing on the ground was difficult as she tried to catch herself on one foot. She had to hop a little to avoid her bad foot touching the ground, but it was just possible to keep the right foot off the ground, at least for now. "I'll hop away for hours. So just give up now!" With every breath, she was feeling more and more tired. If only he would just leave her alone.  
King turned to face her and smirked. "You're brave." And then he darted forwards.

His fist flew at her fast and direct from the front.

Hopping away slightly, she tried to dodge but his other fist was there to greet her, flying into her side and forcing pain through her abdomen as she hopped back and away. Slipping, she fell onto her bottom as he walked towards her. Withdrawing the Taser Gun, she fired, hitting him square in the chest and forcing him to pause for a second before he ripped the charges off. Scrambling to her feet, she backed away. Corinne puffed and tugged off her orange jumper, tossing it to the side.

King smiled, unzipping his white and orange jumpsuit and pulling it off to reveal the black vest top and baggy brown shorts beneath, as well as a body that looked like it had been carved out of stone. Slowly, he cracked each knuckle.

Calmoonmon flew through the middle of them, cursing loudly as Lummosmon spun her staff nearby and fired off a beam of yellow light.

King ran and then swung his leg at her, knocking the trainer off and launching it at Corinne. While it initially seemed like a mistake it was dead-on target. Just what was he if he could do something like this?

Batting it to the side, she saw the other one close behind and hopped away, allowing it to hit the ground.

King was abruptly in front of her and he leapt into the air, using both legs to boot her in the chest and launch her backwards.

Corinne yelped, yet more pain exploding from her chest. Her ankle was still undeniably the worst but the sheer amount of pain had begun to numb her to it in some sort of weird paradox. She skidded across the shiny floor on her bum. Slamming her palms down, she slowed herself down until she finally came to a stop and was able to see King running at her again. Pushing herself to her feet, she breathed. There was no other way at this point, she was going to have to fight. "The peaceful way of the empty hand." Moving into a position in which her right foot was placed lightly on the ground in front of her, she planted her left foot behind and aligned her hands with their respective feet. "I can't be peaceful right now."

King swung his left fist at her.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she slammed her right palm into his inner elbow, and moved swiftly forwards to punch him in the stomach with her free hand. Spinning, she used her palm to knock the other arm away and then thrust her left palm up into his chin to throw his head back and lift him off the ground.

As he staggered, a little dazed, she leapt into the air, twirling to deliver a roundhouse kick and knock him stumbling backwards. Darting behind him, she brought her foot into the small of his back to knock him forwards and then hopped back and away.

"You've been holding back." King turned, wiping the blood from his face. "It might just be enough."

Corinne scowled and moved back into position.

Yet again, he used the same tactic, running and swinging his fist. This seasoned fighter was actually beginning to seem quite brutish.

Corinne slipped under his fist, striking him in the chest to knock him off balance but his arms closed around her before she could manage anything else and then she was squished against his chest briefly before being thrown into the pile of RODAF guards.

Spotting something shining, she realised it was a short sword and picked it up. There was no other choice. Hurling the blade at him, she watched him smash it away but it gave her chance to grab four more from the other guards around her. Whirling them around, she hurled two at once without warning and watched him deflect both but fail to notice the third she had thrown from her other hand. It tore straight through his side and he roared in pain. Guilt plagued her. She wanted to stop and check if he was alright. But she couldn't.

In her peripheral vision, Corinne saw their Digimon fighting, their attacks making loud thumps and crashes almost constantly. Holding the last blade firmly, she turned her attention back to King—who was now in front of her again—as he began to punch and kick faster than before. She was barely able to comprehend how her reflexes were keeping up as her ankle, and the rest of her body, screamed for reprieve. She hopped away from a sharp kick to her left, fearing it would crack a rib.

Suddenly, he knocked the blade from her hand with a powerful punch to her wrist. This wasn't good.

She saw the strain on his face too and felt her own exhaustion as they faced each other.

He unleashed a fast combo and in the second she tried to decide if she should dodge or deflect the blows, she felt his punch wrench her arm out of its socket. The pain was searing and reminded her of the initial pain of her ankle, with the accompanying tears this time too. And then a fist flew into her face and she flew across the ground as footsteps tapped on the ground slowly.

Corinne snivelled, trying to regain composure, but it was hard when she was in such a sorry state. "I've seen it in the movies. I can do this," she whispered through gritted teeth. Although, admittedly, she had never tried to do it herself. Slowly standing up, she saw the impressed look he gave her briefly before he began to unleash a fresh combination of punches and kicks. Avoiding all the attacks, she focused on manipulating her arm through clenched teeth and tears and then shoulder barged him with her bad arm to unbalance him as a weird mix of pain and pleasure made her head spin. Ignoring it as best she could, she punched him twice in the chest and then a third time in the stomach to knock him onto his back, where she leapt on top of him readily.

Clamping one hand around his throat, she moved her first two fingers close to his eyes. "Move and I'll blind you." She panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and she felt his body do the same as she pinned it down. Her arm was still throbbing; she clearly hadn't put it back in quite right but the pain was so much better at least.

King looked at her and then demanded, "Finish it."

Did he really just say that? All she could manage to do was ask, "What?"

"I said: _finish it_."

Corinne didn't allow her grip to falter but she was so confused. "I heard, I just mean… that's a bit extreme," she stammered.

"Your attack will be nothing compared to the punishment I will receive." Up close, she could smell alcohol on his breath, copious amounts, like her grandfather would drink.

Corinne felt a little pity for him and loosened her grip on his throat very slightly. "Why are you staying here, then?"

"I can't leave; none of us can."

"That's not true!" Corinne protested. Why was he lying? Was this all a ruse? "Rori, Aleena and Taran all escaped!"

"Have they escaped?" King looked sullen. "I don't see them living a normal, happy life. I see them fighting for their lives all around me. Once you enter this life, there is no easy way out." He reached into his pocket.

Corinne stamped onto his wrist with her good foot.

"If I was going to kill you, I would have already." He tugged his hand out and held up a pocket knife. "Please, finish it. Calmoonmon will be free if you do."

Corinne lifted her foot, shaking her head and closing her eyes. This couldn't be happening. Something pressed into the hand she had pointed at his eyes. Opening her eyes, she looked at the penknife he had just given her and tensed her hand around it. She couldn't. This was too far.

Throwing it away, Corinne stood up. "I will find you a way out. I promise you this. Just keep living, please. I promise you'll be old, grey, and happy one day." Turning, she staggered over to her partner as they fought, to cheer Lummosmon on. If they could leave now then maybe they could go help Ty and the others.

"They won't believe you spared my life."

Corinne whirled back around and saw him with a huge chunk of rubble in his hands. This was it. She was done for. Dead. She held her good arm up, in what little defence she could muster.

"Good luck." It smashed over his head and he fell to the floor.

Panicking, amidst her confusion, she rushed to his side, palpating his wrist for a pulse. "Idiot," she growled as she felt the slow throb. Turning back, she saw Lummosmon and Calmoonmon still duking it out like a pair of boxers in some pseudo ring.

Lummosmon leapt at Calmoonmon, wrapping her arms around the latter and her necklace began to glow brightly. Why was she going to use her premonition skill? What use would that be if she was already holding onto Calmoonmon? "Divine Tooth!" the necklace wrapped around both of their necks, lighting up and enveloping the two in a bright white light. When it faded, Lummosmon fell to the floor, turning back to Lummon in a flurry of data orbs.

Calmoonmon then abruptly collapsed and became unmoving.

Corinne rushed over to Lummosmon's side, absorbing her into the Digivice. She glanced at Calmoonmon and then walked over, grabbing onto the large Digimon and dragging her across the floor to King with the last of her strength. She stood up, admiring her handiwork and then fell onto the ground, her body having finally given up.

~.~.~

Rori felt dizzy as she tried to stay standing, using the half-wall behind her to rest on. She was really regretting pretending she could deal with Cory. He was a multiple martial artist and had fought on par with Champion level Digimon. She was just an idle dreamer with a penchant for rainforests. "Pull yourself together," Rori hissed.

Cory swung his baton and she ducked but felt his hand fly into her gut, causing her to crumple over.

As she lay on the ground, she tried to think like Aleena but she couldn't. She was just useless Rori. A powerful strike to the back of her head pushed her into the ground, but it also reinvigorated her resolve.

Rori grabbed onto his ankle and tried to pull him over but his other foot flew into her face and then he grabbed her by the scruff of her dirty white t-shirt and lifted her into the air.

"You were pathetic." He spat in her face. "I wonder if I can still catch the others before Lord Kayran gets to them." He tossed her to one side and then began to walk away, slipping his baton back into his belt.

Rori felt something well up inside of her, renewing her vigour; it was almost like a hidden strength from the thought of him hurting Aleena. "Who said I was done?" she called, pushing herself up and wiping the dirt and spit from her face. "I'm the only one who's going to walk through that door." She brandished her pole and then looked up to see Warhawkmon engulfed in smoke as Chrysanthemon flew about, firing an onslaught of leaves.

"Maybe I have another five minutes to spare on you." He chuckled, turning around.

Rori ran at him, jabbing with her pole. He avoided the strike to his head with ease and dodged the next swing at his shoulder too, reaching with his palm at her chest.

Rori ducked under his arm with a spin and swung her pole to smack him in the ankles but he leapt up, simultaneously lifting his leg to kick her. Grabbing the pole with both hands, she blocked the kick and shoved to knock him backwards.

Cory danced about from foot to foot, laughing. "This is you being serious?" Smirking, he said, "If I stop playing too then we can see who is really stronger." He spat the chewed lollypop stick from his mouth and withdrew a fresh one, unwrapping the packaging slowly.

Furious at his lackadaisical attitude, she ran at him again, stabbing with her pole.

He avoided it, plopping the lollypop into his mouth and smiling.

Rori threw the pole into the air with a gentle spin. She bounced off her back foot and punched him square in the nose, following through with the punch to make his head spin. The punch shattered his sunglasses, cutting her hand, but she ignored this and kicked him in the abdomen.

Cory grunted but grabbed her ankle before she could withdraw her foot and dragged her with him across the courtyard.

Rori hopped madly, trying to free herself but just ended up looking stupid as he laughed.

Cory stopped abruptly and brought his forearm down on her kneecap. Pain radiated from the area and then he brought it down again, crashing bone against bone.

Rori bit her lip and flicked her other leg up to kick him in the back of his head.

Cory bent back, laughing as her leg flew past.

Growling, she brought the heel back into his cheek, making his head revolve and then booted him in the chest repeatedly until he let go of her other foot. Before her feet could touch the ground, she locked both legs together around his neck and pulled backwards, to toss him across the courtyard with all of the strength she could muster.

Cory smacked into the wall and grunted in pain, but got back up quickly. It was as if he was a robot!

Rori landed on her face and tried to push herself up but Cory grabbed her by her hair, lifting her up and spinning her to face him before she could even think.

He jabbed her hard in the windpipe and then threw off his broken sunglasses as she staggered backwards. His piercing green eyes seemed alive with fire but devoid of any life.

Unable to breathe, she found herself gasping for air as Cory quickly advanced upon her.

He reached her in a second or two and unleashed a brutal combo of kicks and punches which left her battered and slumped against the far wall. However, Cory still wasn't sated and picked her up by her throat with his left hand, crunching the lolly in his mouth as he did and spitting out the stick. Then he senselessly punched her in the face until she was no longer able to open her left eye due to the swelling.

Everything hurt as the relentless blows continued, his eyes crazed.

 _No more_. Grabbing his bloodied fist with her palm, she clenched and crunched down hard.

Cory grimaced, looking at her with slight shock.

No longer willing to play fair, she brought her leg up sharply into his groin and he dropped her, heaving and staggering backwards.

Watching him with her one working eye, Rori spat a huge blood clot out of her mouth. "I'm going to make you regret not fighting Aleena." She clenched her fists and brought them up in front of her face, remembering core training's principles of defending your face more clearly than ever now.

As he struggled to regain composure, she ran at him from the left, punching him in the abdomen.

Cory coughed, the blow thudding against his kidney.

Cartwheeling past, she stopped to deliver a kick to his side, sending him staggering, and then back flipped to her feet, grabbed his shoulders tight and delivered a powerful head butt.

Cory fell onto the floor as Rori grabbed her pole, which was conveniently nearby, and then turned it horizontal before leaping on him and pressing it down on his neck.

Cory pushed back against it but was still dazed.

Rori flicked her lower body into the air and thudded her kneecaps down on his thighs, eliciting a grunt of pain and making him slip for second. She pushed the pole harder against his throat, watching his face contort in strain. This was it. He was going to pass out. And then a fist smacked into her face twice and something hit her elbow before she was tossed over the little bridge, which was crossing the small stream that ran across the centre of the courtyard. She smashed through some stone decorations and then came to a stop.

Getting to her feet slowly, she watched him do the same.

"I think I underestimated you, tree hugger." He laughed a little and stretched.

"I think you did too." She used the back of her hand to wipe the blood from her face and flicked it onto the ground.

Cory ran and leapt over the water that separated them as Rori pounced towards him like a lion, ready to unleash everything she had.

Rori punched first but he caught her fist and threw his own punch in return, which she just barely managed to grab as the two landed on the ground in a deadlock. Both of them tried to use their feet but it proved ineffective with neither willing to let go or leave themselves open. Suddenly, Warhawkmon was thrown over the top of them by Chrysanthemon, his data swirling off in orbs as he Dedigivolved into Squarmon.

Cory shoved her fist backwards and then let go, punching her in the face twice and throwing her to the ground.

Rori felt her grip slip and lay waiting for the inevitable blows that would follow but Chrysanthemon landed in front of her, holding her arms out.

"Leaf Dance." The leaves tied Cory up, lifting him into the air and then with a snap of her fingers, they exploded and he yelped in pain as he was blown through the air.

Cory hit the ground and then leaves appeared around him again. "Leaf Dance." The leaves flew into his body, cutting him and then more—appearing initially around Chrysanthemon—flew at him too, digging in all over before exploding and throwing him even further across the courtyard.

Rori grabbed Chrysanthemon's ankle. She had to stop this. After just one, it was clear Cory was unable to fight anymore, and two made it sure but any more was too much. "Please… stop," she whispered.

Chrysanthemon looked down, her childlike eyes furious. "He hurt you, so I hurt him."

"It's over, we've won. We don't have to hurt him when he can't defend himself. If we do that." She looked over at him, no longer moving. "We're no better."

Chrysanthemon looked back at Cory and then knelt down in front Rori, picking her up and cradling her in her arms. "Leaf Dance."

"Wait, I said—"

"Rori Right." The leaves encircled Cory and Squarmon, tying them up tightly, and then Chrysanthemon smiled at Rori. "Let's help friends."

~.~.~

Leon's partner leapt out of the Digivolution egg. "Xeomon," the arctic wolf Digimon said as it padded forwards. Its fur was white from head to toe and the eyes were white blank circles. The only major visible difference between a regular wolf and it was a large blue lightning bolt shaped horn protruding from the middle of its forehead.

Idolonmon came out a second later and sat down, thrusting his staff into the ground. "Ritual of the Dead." Skeletal Ogremon clambered out of the ground around Xeomon, grabbing onto it as the rest of their bodies emerged from the metal.

Xeomon wriggled, trying to get free but was unsuccessful as the full bodies emerged, complete with bone clubs and began to whack the wolf Digimon.

Leon snapped, "Xeomon, end it."

Xeomon breathed in deeply. "Icy Wind." After it exhaled, there was a few seconds of silence before the Ogremon began to be bashed about by an invisible force until they were just grains of dust.

Leon pointed at them. "Now those two."

Xeomon looked up at Leon but the blond's face didn't shift from its stern expression. Looking back at them, Xeomon sprinted forwards, much faster than any normal wolf.

Idolonmon stood up, pointing his staff. "Killer Instinct!" A red laser erupted.

Xeomon leapt up, baring its fangs. "Ice Beam!" Xeomon's eyes began to glow and then a white laser burst out, colliding with the red energy from Idolonmon's staff. The collision knocked both Digimon back and Xeomon retreated next to Leon.

"Your Digimon isn't as weak as I first thought." Leon watched him carefully.

He sounded so different to her. "It's difficult to comprehend Aleena being your comrade if you converse in such a way!"

"I can be menacing too, you know!" the boy roared angrily, shaking from head to toe.

Tyler smirked. "There it is." He nodded to Idolonmon, who picked him up and then charged.

Leon climbed onto Xeomon's back and then they also rushed forwards.

Tyler wasn't as averse to combat as Corinne, but it wasn't ideal. However, there seemed to be little option. He tensed his fists as Idolonmon threw him at Leon and knocked the blond off his partner, rolling back to his feet and looking for the boy.

Leon's fist flew into his face, knocking him backwards, and then another punch at his face.

Tyler blocked the attack, trying to think of a strategy but nothing was coming to mind.

Leon's fist crashed into his body, knocking the air out of his lungs and then the blond followed up with a potent uppercut, knocking Tyler into the air. Leon placed his hand on Tyler's floating body and then thrust him down into the ground with a single movement.

While on the ground, Tyler noted that he was entirely different than his appearance, much like Aleena. He had special training and this was a stupid idea. As Tyler tried to get up, Leon threw him across the floor and then turned back to their partners' fight.

Clambering to his feet, he watched Xeomon spit out a large shard of ice.

Idolonmon knocked it away with his staff and then pointed the red trident at Xeomon. "Killer Instinct." The three lasers combined, making a joint laser but this went much the same way as before, with Xeomon firing his own energy based attack and the resultant explosion blowing Tyler and Leon's hair about.

Tyler took this chance to run at Leon, leaping onto his back.

Leon grunted, pulling Tyler off himself and flinging him into the ground. The blond then delivered a swift strike to his windpipe and Tyler felt his consciousness fade as Leon yelled. "Finish this now." He then walked off, presumably over to a fallen Idolonmon.

There was no way Tyler could let this happen. He was the leader of The Resistance, he had to be there for them. Standing up, he watched Xeomon open its maw, gathering a mass of purple and black energy about in its mouth and then spitting it out. "Gravity Bomb."

"Dark Teleport!" Idolonmon teleported away but as the attack struck his previous location, it sucked him back in and then mauled his body. It was an implosion, and it had knocked Idolonmon out.

"It's done," Leon said, walking towards the door they had come through with Xeomon.

"It is not." Tyler ran at Leon and swung his fist.

"For a brainy dude—" Leon tapped the fist away and raised his knee up into Tyler's abdomen, causing him to keel over, and then again into his face.

As Tyler flipped backwards, Leon's hand gripped his throat and slammed him into the ground.

The ravenette kicked out, hitting something hard, which he presumed was Leon as he heard a sharp intake of breath. So he had been right, that leg had been previously damaged. He got onto his knees, punching the thigh of the same leg and making Leon stagger back, grimacing.

Xeomon leapt in front, growling, but a red laser flew into the side of the wolf, tossing Xeomon through the air.

Tyler stood up and snapped his fingers, activating his Energy Shroud.

"If you're going to use that then I should too." Leon snapped his fingers, releasing the aqua shroud with a flash.

Tyler watched slowly and cautiously as Leon's body changed through white and to a blue hue. That wasn't natural. These Digivices they had all gotten, perhaps they had a side effect? Leon's hair began to freeze, ice crystals forming in the blond curls. Every breath became white vapour. This was vastly different to any of the other First Vectors he had seen so far, to say the least.

His brain whirred, the enhanced mental capacity from his First Vector accelerating his processing power way above that of even a super computer. "You are able to withstand colder temperatures. But, not only that, you are able to also decrease your own body temperature and use this as an advantage within itself."

"You're as smarty pants as they told me," Leon joked.

What was he on about? Who could he have possibly talked to that would have given him information on any of The Resistance beforehand? "Who told you?" The only possibility could be that his superiors had told him after researching them. But they were a new resistance group, so there was no way RODAF knew that much already.

Leon laughed. "You don't know? Not too smart then. Tell you what, hit me and I might tell you." Leon grinned. This guy was a complete imbecile.

Tyler began to think deeply and then the pieces seemed to connect. His Shroud enhanced his thinking capacity more than he could comprehend. "It was a Digimon while you were in the Digital world, right? But not the first time you went there and got your Digivice. You went back after, didn't you? They made you." It was the only explanation for his Digivice and insider knowledge. The only question remained was if he knew Gimi.

"How did you…?" Leon asked, confused.

Tyler relished in the confusion slightly, more than he should have. "Like you said: I'm a _smarty pants_." Tyler then regained focus. There was little chance he would win but he was sure he had spotted a bit of a pattern. He just had to confirm it.

Leon sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'll just hit you until you cry."

Xeomon skidded through the middle of them, red lasers blowing holes into the ground near him and then the white wolf ran back at Idolonmon, continuing their fight.

Both of them paused, watching the Digimon as Idolonmon teleported around and Xeomon chased after him.

Idolonmon flipped into the air, sticking his sceptre in between Xeomon's shoulder blades mid-flip. "Ritual of the Dead." The skeletal Ogremons grabbed onto the lupine Digimon but this time they, and Idolonmon were thrown off.

Xeomon ruffled its fur and spat out a stream of icicles, battering Idolonmon as he struggled to get his footing.

Tyler looked back at Leon with worry. How on earth were they supposed to win? He watched as Leon ran at him and noted that it was the same way as before. He had figured out that it was a learned combo, as was to be expected of someone who had been taught how to fight. He dodged the first punch, just barely due to the speed, confusing Leon a little. That second of pause was enough time for Tyler to land his own punch in Leon's face.

Leon staggered backwards, touching his face.

Gritting his teeth, Tyler gripped his fist, now sore, from punching that cold hard surface. He had never actually punched anyone in the face before. Sure, he had thought about it but never gone through with it. Why were people so nonchalant about fighting if this was the result?

He ran back away as Leon laughed and chased after him. "Brains and brawns, I can see why Aleena likes you. Well, I'm not sure about the brawns. What does brawns mean? Is it a type of strong prawns?"

Was this guy serious? He was actually asking for dictionary definitions in the middle of the fight. Tyler cursed as he realised it was a tactic and it had distracted him long enough for Leon to deliver a swift side kick into his abdomen.

Tyler tried to escape but Leon punched him again, unleashing the combo that Tyler had been expecting but wasn't able to dodge this time. One, two, three. He fell backwards and tried to clamber to his feet but Leon was straight on him, trying to land yet another combo. It was too hard to learn them all so he had to replicate the scenarios that instigated certain combos and then counter attack. The only way he was going to win was thus. And so a strategy formed in his head and he prepared for his fist to hurt again.

Xeomon and Idolonmon's attacks echoed in the background as Idolonmon began to look weary, teleporting around and on the defensive.

Leon pinned him down, grinning. "You know, for a smart guy, you really aren't too smart."

Tyler struggled as the strong grip locked his shoulders in place and Leon's body weight winded him. "Why don't you fight me like a man?" Tyler smirked. "Instead of a little boy."

Leon's face dropped. Tyler had found the nerve and struck it successfully. "I'll show you a man." Leon climbed off him and picked him up, shoving him backwards. "You can have the first punch."

Tyler was going to have to fight in a slightly dirty way but it was worth it. Calculating his odds, he decided there was no other way. Rushing at Leon, he punched him in the gut with all the force he could muster.

Leon grinned, his abs being so rock solid that the attack had barely fazed him, and then unleashed a combo Tyler knew well.

Dodging the first, and the second swings, he then punched Leon in the groin before the third punch could be thrown. Tyler punched twice more as Leon's eyes rolled into the back of his head; he had to be sure Leon was sufficiently incapacitated. Bringing his arm back, he loosed the best punch he could muster into Leon's face, knocking the blond into a stagger, until he fell onto his back, groaning.

"No fair," Leon groaned.

As his fists throbbed, Tyler remembered seeing those cheesy wrestlers on adverts. Jumping into the air, he dropped with his elbow onto Leon's abdomen, eliciting a strained cough. Getting onto his knees quickly, he clasped his fists together and brought them down on Leon's bad leg. Preparing to do it to the other, which also seemed to be impaired, he paused when he felt a hand grab him. Snapping his eyes down he saw Leon squeeze his wrist hard and then with a jerk, he chucked Tyler away.

Never before had Tyler felt so weak. He had literally been thrown away. However, he had dealt some definitive blows. But available information hadn't stipulated Leon might be so resilient. Pushing himself back up, he felt his arms shake. All that time on computers was not paying off right now.

However, Leon was still struggling to get back up. "End it, Xeomon!" Leon coughed, gripping his leg and clenching his eyes shut. "NOW!"

Xeomon looked over and moved to run towards Leon, ignoring the command entirely.

"Xeomon, no!" Leon yelled, but it was too late.

Idolonmon fired lasers from his pitchfork, blowing Xeomon into the air, where more lasers struck him. "Dark Teleport." Idolonmon appeared in the wolf Digimon's flight path and smacked him up and away with a sharp punch. "Killer Instinct!" The lasers crashed into Xeomon, lifting him ever higher as he spun uncontrollably and without any means of defence. Idolonmon quickly appeared above Xeomon, and then stabbed his staff into Xeomon, stopping his upwards arc. "Killer Instinct!" Xeomon flew back down like a reverse rocket, burrowing into the metal with a resounding clang as an indent formed. Orbs of data swirled away from the fallen body and then Tyler knew it was over. As calculated.

Idolonmon teleported in front of Leon and pointed his staff.

Leon smiled, mumbled something Tyler couldn't make out, swallowed a pill and fell backwards.

Tyler waited a moment, but Leon's eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling slowly. Had he drugged himself to sleep?

A loud crash came from the right. Tyler glanced around for Cory or King, or anyone attacking but saw, instead, a metal door smash onto the ground behind him. Looking up the staircase, he saw Rori and Chrysanthemon fly into the room through the newly opened doorway.

"Tyler!" Rori cheered, her voice weak. She looked like she needed urgent medical attention and yet she was still fighting. Was this what it meant to truly believe in something, someone?

Tyler shook it off. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind that." Rori breathed deeply, hissing. Presumably the pain she was in was affecting her ability to breathe. "Where's Aleena?"

Tyler looked over at the door. "She exited through there. Have you seen the others?"

"I'm sure they're fine. Let's grab Aleena and Leomon and go." Rori looked up at Chrysanthemon and then back at Tyler before the four headed towards the door.

* * *

 **There's a lot of groin punching in this story, I feel it in myself everytime I write one! Will Rori manage to keep going much longer and will they find Aleena before it's too late? Is Leon really a bad guy?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	32. Chapter 31: The Dragon Emerges

"Energy Burst." Talmon panted weakly, spitting the energy ball at Alice.

Alice dodged at the last second, allowing it to hit the floor.

Aleena felt a smile spread across her lips despite the pain as she saw her partner standing up for her. He truly was her best friend.

Talmon slowly stood up, walking over. "No one hurts Aleena, no one," he stated flatly, his furry brow furrowed into the most serious glare she had ever seen from the excitable rabbit.

At her hip, Aleena felt her Digivice flailing about. Looking down, she saw sky blue lights dancing out from it. The knife in her wrist twisted and she gasped in pain, although it was difficult to understand how more pain could be caused at this point. As she opened her mouth, a tornado of blue energy erupted and flew straight at Talmon, wrapping around him and encasing him in a Digivolution egg.

"I should…" Simon began, appearing from the shadows.

"No." Alice glared at her partner but half-sighed as she looked at the little pink orb. "I'll deal with him. You go somewhere else and watch my back."

Simon looked sad but Alice's will was unwavering and eventually Simon flapped his little wings and bounced away.

Aleena groaned in pain, the Digivice still shaking violently on her waist.

"If I'm correct, your First Vector provides denser muscles, particularly in the upper body." Alice clenched her fist, flexing her biceps. "Mine increases the elastic potential in my muscles. It may sound weird at first but I'll show you on Talmon." She smiled kindly, it almost seemed sincere. "There was no way I could have used this on my baby sister." With a thud of her foot on the ground, she moved into a steadfast fighting stance.

"I'm not finished!" Aleena growled furiously, trying to push herself back up. Planting her hands on the ground, she pushed, ignoring the searing pains in her wrist. As soon as she did, the muscles in her right arm gave way and she fell back on to the floor with a thump.

Alice looked back, and softly said, "You are. It's okay." She then turned back to the Digivolution egg. "Believe in your partner. She waved her hand and all of the knives flew in front of her. The ones embedded in Aleena flew out, releasing spurts of blood and then they all formed a circle in front of Alice.

Aleena screamed in profuse agony. Her mind was swimming, circling the drain. She couldn't think straight and her vision was swapping between blurred and pure darkness as blood spurted from the holes in her body.

Alice's knives spun slowly and then dispersed into dust, becoming invisible. With a flash, pink lightning danced up and down Alice's body and then vanished without a trace.

Aleena growled in pain, clamping her hand over her wrist and looking down at her leg. Now she had calmed down, Aleena noticed her bleeding wasn't too bad and the pain was more like the ebb and flow of the tide. She had to find some way to stem the blood flow. Aleena grabbed her t-shirt and tore off one of the sleeves, ripping it to make a bandage. Tyler definitely wasn't having this t-shirt back now. Grimacing through the pain of her injured hand, she tied the fabric tightly around her thigh. Hissing in pain, she felt the pain shift into a dull throb. Calmly, Aleena clamped her hand back over her wrist and tried to ignore the pain she was in. That alone was a behemoth task at the moment but she quickly planned to cover it up next with the other sleeve. The other injuries were less severe; she could ignore them for now.

~.~.~

Talmon burst out of his egg, having changed a lot. He was now bipedal and looked a lot like a young human boy. Like Taran, really. Being only five feet tall and not very muscular, he didn't think this form was as impressive as the other Champion Digimon had previously been. However, he remembered that quote from a movie that big things can come in small packages. A gust of wind brushed his almost naked pale body. He would kill her for hurting Aleena.

Alice shot towards him, much faster than he was expecting. She was like a jaguar, pouncing on her prey.

With agility he almost didn't recognise, he leapt through the air. His faded dark blue cape fluttered about behind him, a gentle reminder that it was there. Narrowing his eyes as he landed on top of the staircase, he tugged the golden string holding the cape on, tightening it. This was awesome. He was a Champion!

Looking through the messy brown hair that covered his eyes, he watched as she pounced upon him again—reminding him faintly of a rabbit, which was kind of cute, considering the fact that he had a little rabbit tail poking through the back of his shorts—however he easily flipped over the top of her and back onto the cold metal ground with his new-fangled swiftness. His new name, he remembered it. "Taimon!" he announced.

Alice burst back towards him, swinging her arm out. Iron filings extending from her fist, striking Taimon and knocking him backwards. Now, _that_ , he hadn't expected.

The level Alice was fighting at was entirely different to how she had been fighting earlier. He had to just hope that he really was a big thing in a small package.

Alice burst forwards with such speed and ferocity that Taimon couldn't react in time. Her fist flew into him, throwing him all the way across the vast room and into the wall. The room shook from the force and he felt the pain erupt across his small body. Dust fell from the ceiling but Kayran and Tracy, who were nearby now, didn't respond.

Alice breathed deeply, looking tired as her chest thudded up and down and sweat dripped from her brow.

Taimon got back up, shaking off the attack. He had to keep fighting for Aleena's sake.

"Finish it," Kayran yelled, tapping away.

Alice waved her hand, sighing and a knife appeared. She walked over slowly as Taimon raised his hand.

"Eleven Dragon Magic!" The blue rabbit tattoo on his chest illuminated and then a glyph appeared on his palm, unleashing eleven smoky dragons as it expanded outwards into the air. He hoped to stop her before she got close but Alice didn't pause for a second, flipping backwards as the dragons tore into the ground in an attempt to ensnare her limber form.

After her fourth flip to get away, she propelled herself high into the air, out of his range and waved her hand to form ten knives. Tossing the one already in her hand into the air, she then flicked her wrist to unleash all eleven knives on different, arcing paths.

Taimon tried to think quickly, following the knives as best he could. She hadn't given him more than he could handle with his dragons, which was strange, but it was still difficult to determine how they were actually going to come at him. He waved his hand and decided to do away with the dragons, placing his hands onto the floor and digging his nails into a groove between the metal panels. He got a good grip with his feet and then reared up on all fours. "Dragon Soul," he roared in a primal fashion. A dark blue glyph appeared in front of his body and a bone shattering roar was unleashed from it. The sheer volume of sound created a cone of air pressure that caught all the knives, shaking them in the air as they struggled against it before they fell to the floor, having lost momentum.

Alice put both arms in front of her face as a metal shield formed in front of her. The shield was quickly forced backwards into her, knocking her further into the air.

Taimon sprinted across the ground and surged up at her, swinging his fist. He was like some sort of jetpack man with this jump. It was so cool!

Alice reached out, catching his fist with her hands, as her feet touched the roof. Letting go of Taimon before he could even think about getting back down, Alice tensed her legs and burst downwards like a javelin, crashing her head into Taimon's stomach and knocking him into the ground with another attack that shook the entire room.

This time, Taimon resolved he wouldn't let her get the upper hand again. Flipping to his feet, he ran at her. "Eleven Dragon Magic!" The dragons erupted as he continued to run, stretching out towards her.

Alice hopped backwards as the dragons dived towards her with ease, not even seeming phased as he used every trick he could think of. With a flick of her wrist, she lifted up the metal panel beneath Taimon's feet, flicking him into the air.

Dispelling the dragons, he rolled into a ball and angled his head away from Alice. "Dragon Soul." Roaring, he sent himself flying towards her.

Alice grimaced and conjured a metal pole, holding it out.

Taimon opened his body up as he reached her and grabbed onto the pole. Flipping over her, while pulling the pole against her neck, he booted her in the back and roared again, shooting Alice across the room in a tumble of limbs as she tried to right herself.

Alice smirked as she rolled to her feet. "You're just like Aleena." Snorting, she giggled. "You always have another trick up your sleeve." She wasn't even taking this seriously!

"Don't fraternise. Just eliminate!" Kayran roared angrily.

Alice shrugged, her smile vanishing and her face becoming a pale blank slate. "I'll cut this short, I'm sorry but it's necessary."

Taimon had no idea what she was on about. He was clearly the one who was in the lead in this current battle of the strength, let alone the fact that she was just a human. How on earth did she expect to compete with a champion, even if she did have weird metal powers?

Alice threw the last of her iron filings out of her pouch, and lifted her arms. All of the little sparkles of metal lifted up, including the eleven knives, and they warped quickly into a multitude of small needles. There was far too many to count and no way Dragon Soul could stop this. He had little hope left to avoid it either with them almost covering the entire width and height of the room.

Iron abruptly appeared around Taimon's wrists, ankles and neck, dragging him to the wall and pinning him against it. Panicking, he pulled, his body straining against the restraints but they wouldn't even give a tiny bit. So, now he couldn't even fight back. Okay, maybe she was able to compete with a champion but there had to be a way he could stop her.

Kayran turned around, laughing. "This is the true power of the one you have defied." He turned to Aleena. "If you had just obeyed, I wouldn't have to kill you like the dog you are." Then he glanced at Taimon. "And I don't need to say that all Digimon are feral animals that need to either be used for our benefit or put down."

"Don't talk to him like that!" Aleena screamed, thumping the ground. "I'll kill you!"

"Aleena, you won't." Taimon looked at Kayran. "Because I'll beat you to it."

"You'll need to defeat me first," Alice said, throwing her arms down to her side and launching all the needles at once.

The attack came fast and he panicked.

Taimon watched Aleena try to get up and help and felt guilty. He had promised to protect her and now she was going to have to protect him. No. He was going to make it stop. The needles burst through his Digital body, tearing through his flesh and releasing streams of data that swirled up to the roof. Howling, he tried to find a way to think about anything other than the pain he was in but it was impossible. His head was swimming in an ocean of agony and he just felt too weak to go on. Then the needles began to spin, clockwise and then counter clockwise. He roared, trying to do anything other than just survive but even that seemed impossible as they bored deeper.

The needles tugged free and slowly returned to Alice, sliding back into her pouch, smoothly followed by the cuffs dispersing into filings again.

Taimon fell to the ground, barely able to move amongst the fresh rubble, as his whole body ached. How come he hadn't Dedigivolved? Was he able to keep going? It seemed impossible to move an inch right now, never mind fight. But he was going to have to. It was for Aleena. This was the battle of the century.

"It's done," Alice announced. She almost seemed sad about it. Why had she gone so hard if she hadn't wanted to win?

"You may leave." Kayran's voice again. He wasn't even going to say well done? He was truly awful.

Taimon didn't regret them leaving anymore. Killing Kayran was the only thing he wanted to do now, and this was going to be his best chance if he could get Alice out of the way.

He coughed and got back to his feet. Looking over at Aleena, Taimon saw the look of sheer relief and then he looked at Alice as she walked away. He wouldn't sneak attack her. He was going to beat her fair and square. Pointing his little fist, he yelled, "Alice!"

She turned back to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "You got back up?"

Taimon leapt forwards and then into the air. "Dragon Soul!"

Alice barely had time to throw some filings out and create a shield before both she and her shield were thrown back against the stairs.

Running across the room, the sound of his bare feet slapping across the ground, he prepared to continue his attack before she could get up again.

Alice smiled briefly, throwing out more filings and making the shield, and them, disperse into the air. Placing her arms and legs behind her, she thrust hard away from the wall, launching herself at Taimon.

Taimon leapt into the air. "Dragon Soul."

Alice formed a shield and then flipped over it, vaulting herself upwards to meet him. She swung her leg up as she neared Taimon, a metal coating forming on her limb as it was about to connect with his face.

Opening his mouth, he roared at full volume, "Dragon Soul!" The attack blew them apart, throwing him into the roof and her into the ground. Bouncing off the roof, like she had, he opened his mouth again as she got back up. "Dragon Soul!"

Alice back flipped away and then leapt into the air, flicking her wrist to create and launch a hammer at Taimon.

Moving to the side, he caught it and hurled it back.

Alice laughed and clicked her fingers, turned it into filings as it reached her. "You're doing really good, but you won't win by playing around."

Taimon kept his focus, not allowing the goading to get him annoyed.

Alice knelt down and then burst forwards, flying at him.

This was it. He had to use his last resort. "Dragon Form!" Taimon yelled. It was going to wipe him out quickly but it was the only way to take her on head to head. Energy flew outwards from his body, coating him and then spreading out further and further.

Alice's fist collided with the faint red energy that had formed but didn't even form a small indent. The energy cloak shimmered, turning golden and forming the shape of a dragon as Alice ran backwards. A snout and claws formed, linked to how his own body moved.

"This is something new; even to me." Alice laughed, throwing out more iron filings from her pouch. "I may have to actually go sixty percent against you."

Taimon was no longer prepared to play along, even if she was. He had to end this. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Aleena!" He flew forwards, raising his right fist. The right arm of the dragon lifted up, the claws closing in to create a fist. Wings rippled from the back of the dragon, flapping to speed him up.

Alice waved her hand in a complicated pattern, unfazed by the attack, and a huge chain appeared. It wrapped around the dragon's arm and as he tried to move his own arm, he found that he couldn't. Before he could even try and escape, the chain dug into the wall.

He roared loudly and angrily, trying to tear the arm free but it was as if his real arm was stuck in the wall and every tug caused him immense pain to his already injured body.

Alice created more chains, pinning the other arm down into the ground and then his legs too.

Taimon was stuck; there was no way he could escape and while he was using this ability, he couldn't use any of his other attacks. He had never felt so vulnerable. Waiting for her to make a decision on whether he would live or die was bone chilling. A little like a horror movie. Or maybe more like a thriller. Cursing himself for getting lost in a tangent, he watched Alice cover her mouth, coughing blood into it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to finish this." Alice clenched her fist tightly and a gigantic bullet formed, facing him. Breathing in, she thrust her arm forwards and the projectile flew out towards him.

Simon bounced out of the shadows "Alice, you have to—" The little Digimon passed out, exhausted.

Alice fell to her knees, her legs too weak to hold her up. "Dammit!"

Taimon pulled with his arms, desperate to block the attack. He wasn't sure if the weaker belly of the energy dragon would be enough. The ground and the walls were torn up as he tugged, but his arms wouldn't come free. Clenching his eyes shut, he willed the energy to somehow defend him.

Sharp stabbing pains flew through his bottom and he opened his eyes to see the energy dragon's tail flicked out in front, the bullet embedded into it. The tail swished, knocking the bullet out, as data trickled out from his shorts. So this shroud wasn't invulnerable, after all.

With one final tug, he freed his arms and legs, the chains and a chunk of the wall remaining attached. Panting, he felt nothing but exhaustion. His mind drifted to lazy days in front of the television and of a warm bed.

"Well?" Alice yelled. "You giving up?"

Snapping his eyes open he looked at her as she slowly stood back up and conjured a longsword into her hands, gripping it firmly. Looking down at his own hands, he watched the data swirl about. He had to do this. Clenching his fists, he charged at her, the wings beating in the air as he neared her. The ability vanished as he reached her and the chains thudded to the ground, leaving him feeling so vulnerable, so naked.

Alice immediately brought the sword down on him.

Darting to the side and with a grimace of pain, he flipped and kicked skyward, catching her in the face and knocking her back into stumble. Taking his chance as he landed, he bounded forwards, sinking his little fist into her chest and then her gut. Moving back, afraid of retaliation, he watched.

Alice staggered slightly and then dropped her sword, following it soon after with a thud to the ground.

Taimon grinned. He had done it! What a rush! Then tickling spread across his body and he looked at his little hands to see data orbs flying away from his body. That was right. He was exhausted. Closing his eyes, he fell to the ground.

"Pathetic." Lord Kayran snatched a glare at Alice before looking back at them. "All of you." Cracking his knuckles, he said, "If you want something done correctly, I guess you must do it yourself." He pulled out a revolver, popping open the barrel, spinning it, and snapping it back into place. "Three bullets, so one each. No need to share."

Talmon gathered his strength and lifted his paw. "Seven Dragon Magic." However, the attack fizzled and crackled, just barely producing a single dragon. Ahead, he spotted a shiny object. The dragon darted towards it, picking up a fallen needle Alice had forgotten to turn back to filings in her haste. The dragon fizzled in and out of existence rapidly and he quickly realised he couldn't do it alone. But he didn't have to. "Aleena, catch!" he tossed the needle to her.

Aleena got up, screaming in pain, and caught the needle. With a spin on her right heel, she hurled it at the tank, piercing the container holding Leomon. Alarms began to blare and then Aleena fell onto her knees, panting. He had to go over and help her, and stop Kayran, but he could barely stay conscious.

Kayran shouted in German at Tracy, who shouted back, and then he turned and aimed his gun at Aleena.

Talmon panicked, trying to get up and stop it but every attempt ended with him falling back flat on his face like a pathetic waste of space. He couldn't let this happen not now. Not after all they had been through!

"You will pay!" he yelled, squeezing the trigger.

"No!" Talmon screamed, hysterical. He couldn't lose her! This could _not_ happen!

"Leaf Dance." A wall of leaves gathered in front of Aleena, absorbing the bullet into their ranks and then they separated, flying at Kayran and exploding as Rori, Chrysanthemon, Tyler and Idolonmon rushed in.

Idolonmon flew over to him, picking him up.

Talmon relaxed in the devil Digimon's arms, exhausted. He was grateful for their friends, as much as he knew Aleena would be embarrassed.

"Aleena!" Rori gasped.

Talmon was set down by her side as Aleena coughed.

"This?" she smiled weakly. "It's nothing." Looking up, she nodded. "Free Leomon, I'll hold Kayran off." Just how she thought she would do that was baffling but Talmon knew how stubborn she was.

"You can barely stand." Tyler placed his hand on her shoulder. "Let us handle this."

Aleena shook her head, forcing herself up. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she clenched her teeth. "See, I'm fine," she said, her voice strained. As she shook a bit, Rori caught her, slipping under her arm and holding her steady.

"Aleena, you can't stand. Please, I don't want to see you hurt!" Rori begged, struggling to hold the other girl up.

"It's fine. I've got these." Aleena shakily withdrew three body enhancing pills.

"Aleena in your state if you use them you could die!" Rori exclaimed.

"Don't you dare!" Talmon yelled, trying to get up.

Aleena tossed them into her mouth and knocked her head back.

"No!" Rori screamed, grabbing at her throat.

Aleena lowered her head back down and opened her mouth. "Time to." She hobbled away from Rori. "Kick his ass."

"I didn't think I'd need your assistance too. But now is the time." Lord Kayran called, walking out from the smoke almost unscathed. His humanity was definitely in question now. How could a human not even be remotely hurt by that attack? And who was he calling for?

"As you wish, sir." The voice announced from behind Leomon's broken tank, accompanied by quiet footsteps.

* * *

 **Do you really believe Alice wasn't even using half her power against Taimon for most of the fight, so how much was she using for Aleena? How will Aleena cope with the body enhancing pills? And who is this newcomer?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	33. Chapter 32: No Man Left Behind

Rori watched Aleena, gritting her teeth to hold back the tears brewing. Seeing the one she looked up to in this state was… soul-destroying. Steeling herself, she clenched her fists and saw Andrew walk over from a door at the back of the room. His black suit was pristine and the Digimon next to him certainly wasn't G-Mon. A new partner? It was a huge boulder with arms made from interlocking rocks and a stern expression. Her Digivice buzzed.

 _Geomon, Champion level, Data, Nature Sprits, Metal Empire._

 _Don't get stuck in his Quicksand attack or you might just go missing!_

Aleena coughed, blood spurting out onto the floor.

Rori rushed to help her but Aleena's arm flew out, pushing her back.

"I'm fine." She turned to Andrew. "Digivolving G-Mon is like polishing a turd—pointless."

"Aleena, please," Talmon muttered as his eyelids closed against his will.

"I'm fine," she hissed, angry.

Talmon tried to stand up, to walk towards her, but his little body fell back to the floor with a soft thud.

Andrew scowled. "You've seen better days." Thrusting his hands in his trouser pockets, he looked at Geomon. "End it quickly."

Geomon's eyes turned black for a second. "Quicksand."

Sand gathered around them all instantaneously, pulling at their feet as if it were alive. Rori grabbed hold of her leg, tugging at it. "This isn't good!" she yelled as she realised she was already shin-deep.

Leaves appeared all around them and quickly formed a lasso, with Chrysanthemon holding the other end. Tugging hard, she smacked them together, the leaves tightening around the three humans while Idolonmon was holding Talmon. Chrysanthemon flew up towards the roof, freeing them from a sandy demise, lifting them barely a few feet above the attack, before she began to falter.

"Idolonmon, stop him doing that again!" Tyler yelled, looking over his shoulder at Aleena and Rori, as the three were squashed together by Chrysanthemon's lasso. "This is a little too close for comfort," he mumbled. "I'm glad I brushed my teeth."

Idolonmon dropped Talmon and pointed his trident. "Killer Instinct!" The red lasers battered against the rock Digimon but had seemingly no effect.

"Extendor!" Geomon reached up, its arm extending rapidly towards Idolonmon until it snatched his neck, crushing down hard and continuing to push until Idolonmon was thrown into a wall. "Extendor!" The other shot at them, the rocks clunking against each other as they grew and more were added.

Chrysanthemon tossed them up into the air, leaving Rori's stomach behind in her wake. "Rotary Spin!" With a quick twirl, she kicked the arm into a wall, blowing out a chunk of the wall with it.

Rori held herself firm as they plummeted back down, Chrysanthemon would catch them for sure. Wouldn't she? With a thud, she felt the rope dig into her abdomen as they were dangled inches from the ground.

"Sorry." Chrysanthemon released the rope and they fell in a tumble onto the cold metal below.

Rubbing her head, Rori looked at her partner. "We'll work on it." The leaves flew off them and towards Geomon, exploding to create a smoke screen.

Aleena lay on the ground panting, not even the Body Enhancing pills were able to overcome the damage that had been done to her body.

Rori shakily pushed herself up. She had to be strong for Aleena. "Chrysanthemon, go help Idolonmon. We'll be fine."

Chrysanthemon looked at her for a moment, hesitating, and then flew off.

Aleena growled, snarling through the pain she was in as she got onto all fours. "Go." She shoved herself up, falling backwards so that she was on her knees. "Get." She stood up, staggering from side to side and then steadied herself, pointing at the tank. "Leomon."

Rori could see—through her good eye—that Aleena was in no fit shape to fight anyone, let alone a grown man in peak condition like Lord Kayran. But telling Aleena no was pointless. Nodding, and holding back the tears as she looked at her friend's injured body, she said, "I won't let you down."

Aleena held out three fingers. "I can buy three minutes. You better not let me down."

Pointing at Kayran, Aleena yelled, "One on one, you coward!"

He laughed and pointed his gun. "And, why, pray tell, would I squander time on you when I can, instead, end it instantly?"

Aleena clenched her fists, steadying on her feet. "You're afraid? That it?" She laughed. "No wonder RODAF sucks at everything!"

Unloading his gun, Kayran tossed it and his jacket to the ground. His pectorals seemed to burst from the white vest top he wore underneath the army jacket. Every single muscle was defined and trying to erupt out of his tan skin. "Have it your way. You'll be easier to dispose of if all your bones are broken, I suppose."

Kayran moved into a boxing stance as Aleena ran at him, screaming.

"I'll kill you," she caterwauled as she raised her fist.

Rori looked at Tyler. They had to focus. "I'll keep Tracy away from you."

Tyler nodded. "If you require assistance, alert me immediately." Even now, he was still trying to help. He didn't seem to grasp the situation they were in.

Nevertheless, the gesture was something that made Rori feel at ease. "Thanks."

"For what?" he raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Rori smiled. He hadn't realised. "For everything, silly." She touched his shoulder, her finger tips resting gently on the bone. "You treat me like one of you." Pulling her hand back, she nodded. "You're good people."

Geomon's fist crashed into the ground in front of them, blowing chunks of dust and shards of metal all over.

Coughing, Rori moved her arms down from her face, where she had instinctively raised them to. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at Tyler as their partners' attacks echoed across the room.

"Fine." Tyler grimaced, slowly opening his eyes and lowering his hands down from where he had them held in front of him as if he were trying to catch a Frisbee. "We have to be hasty, no time for trivialities."

Rori remembered their goal. Thirty seconds had already passed and they had done nothing. Time to act. Sprinting across the floor, she kept an eye on both battles, trying to avoid them as she went.

Tracy was just ahead, typing furiously while pushing buttons and pulling levers in an attempt to stop the inevitable.

Rori pounced from the ground like a tiger, leaping onto the older woman's back and clawing underneath her glasses in an attempt to blind her. She not only had to stop her, Rori had to make sure she stayed stopped. "Now!" She flipped over the top of Tracy, landing on the console. Grabbing it with both hands, she booted Tracy on the chest, knocking her to the ground.

Tyler clambered up the platform, past the controls and grabbed hold of the needle. Tugging it, he growled in frustration. "It won't budge."

"Blöd Mädchen!" Tracy leapt up, charging at Rori with her claw-like nails out.

Rori dived to the side, and smashed Tracy's head into the controls. Quickly, she leapt back to avoid Tracy's swipe with her sharp nails. While not technically a weapon, they sure would hurt. "Pull harder!" Rori yelled. She was already doing the hard work; she couldn't help him as well.

Tyler tugged at the needle, growling. Digging his feet into the floor, he leaned backwards, still yanking at the needle, until it came loose and he was thrown back into the console with a thump. He slumped down, dazed and a trickle of liquid spilled out, falling onto his head and wetting his dark hair with a gentle patter. It dropped down his fringe and tapped onto the ground and then, with quick realisation, Tyler leapt over the console and got down low as the cracks spread up the tube. Looking at the needle in his hand, he shook his head and tossed it away, covering his head with both hands A spider web of fissures formed, creaking loudly, and then with one final snap, the glass fell away and the liquid sloshed out all over.

"All my work!" Tracy exclaimed angrily. "Witch!" She grabbed hold of Rori, strangling her in a headlock.

Rori brought her elbow back twice into Tracy's stomach, slipping free from her grasp just long enough to get a hold of Tracy's white lab coat. Spinning around on her heel, she brought the older woman with her and abruptly let go, throwing her across the room. "Get Leomon!" she yelled.

"Removal of her eyeglasses will impair her ocular ability!" Tyler yelled, getting back up and rushing over to the fallen Lion Digimon.

"You will not touch!" Tracy yelled, slapping Rori in the face.

Rori staggered backwards on the liquid, slipping, until she fell onto her back. This was it, she was down and how tired she felt hit her like a tonne of bricks, pressing her into place.

Tracy's weight thudded on top of her and the older woman clawed at Rori's face.

Gripping the white coated arms, Rori tried to hold her back, too weak to do much else. She screamed, terrified that this was it for her journey.

No. She would fight on. That was the promise she made to Aleena. Letting go of one of Tracy's hands, Rori allowed the scientist to scratch her neck while she reached for the glasses. Grabbing them in her fists, she crushed them and then punched Tracy hard in the face as the searing pain spread out from her neck. The adrenaline quickly masked the pain, like it had the rest of her injuries.

Tracy fell off her and staggered to her feet. "You evil witch!"

Twirling on the ground, Rori kicked out with her leg, knocking Tracy back to the floor with a thump that knocked her out.

Panting heavily, Rori gazed up at the roof. She was almost at her complete limit of physical endurance. But, there was a bit left. There was something still in the tank to make sure she could get to the end. Groaning, she got up and walked over, not able to run as she blocked out the background noise behind her. Flicking out the shards of glass in her hands as she went, she tried to ignore everything but her task. She padded across the water with gentle splashes while cold water dripped from her body. It smelt stagnant and dirty. Blood dripped from almost everywhere on her body and the metallic smell filled her nostrils.

As she got up to Leomon, she moved under one arm, Tyler doing the same. This single arm felt like more than she could manage alone but she would have to push herself.

"On my count." Tyler held up three fingers. "Three." He gripped Leomon tightly with his other arm. "Two." Dropping a finger, he held just two. "One." Grabbing tight with his other hand, Rori copied and they both tensed their legs. "Lift!"

Gritting her teeth, Rori tried not to scream like her muscles were. In her periphery, she could see how red Tyler's face was already. Leomon's limp feet and the bottoms of his legs were still trailing on the floor, but it was all they could do. Slowly, they took one step after another, trying to just focus on their goal. Anything else seemed impossible at this point.

"Idolonmon!" Tyler roared, clenching his teeth down so hard. Rori could actually hear him grinding his teeth against each other; it went right through her.

Idolonmon thrust his staff into Geomon's arm, pinning it to the ground as Chrysanthemon unleashed a devastating slew of lasers. Tearing the trident free as the attack hit, Idolonmon flew over to them.

Rori stopped and looked up at the man in front of her. He was huge, as much a boulder as his partner was.

Andrew held up a hand. "You are not authorised to—" A red trident struck him across the face, throwing him across the room—through the middle of Kayran and Aleena's battle—and into a wall where he slumped down, out cold.

"Pathetic." Idolonmon scoffed. "No one can challenge the great me!"

Tyler clenched his teeth, tears trickling down his cheeks. "I can't lift him anymore!" he screamed.

Rori was also close to her limit, but this reminded her that none of The Resistance were trained, they were ordinary. This wasn't right; bringing them here.

"Fine, I'll help," Idolonmon said, yawning as he picked Leomon up, throwing the Digimon over his shoulder.

Rori saw in that moment, a flash of strain. A break in Idolonmon's confident façade that he refused to relent.

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

Chrysanthemon flew over, data orbs flying off Geomon behind her. Her face was stern, but Rori could see it had hurt the sensitive Digimon to do harm to someone she had previously known as a comrade. They were putting their Digimon in such difficult situations, situations that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. While still flying, Chrysanthemon scooped them up, pulling them both close to her chest. "Safe now."

"Thank you," Rori whispered, feeling the warmth and comfort of her partner. In that moment, she forgot where they were and just wanted to sleep, to forget it all.

"Aleena, come on!" Tyler yelled.

Rori snapped her eyes open, looking around for the green haired girl. Well, it was hard to say that she spotted the girl she had known and considered a friend. But she had spotted someone similar.

Aleena gripped at Kayran's arm around her neck and kicked out helplessly but she was unable to even slightly phase him. It was like a child fighting with their parent; a complete disparity of strength and ability.

Kayran didn't even seem tired as he lifted a large serrated knife to her neck from his hip. Light danced across the blade, making it almost seem exciting if it weren't for the implications. "If you're taking Leomon, I'll have this one." He gripped Aleena tighter as she tried to fight her way free. "There are some _tests_ I've been meaning to do on a _live_ subject. Luckily, she's the perfect candidate." He clenched his arm tight around her neck, cutting off her airflow "Even if she's not good for much else." Each word was dripping with malice, with pure evil. Grinning, he looked her in the eyes and brought the blade up against her cheek and then relented slightly, allowing her to breathe as her face turned red. Then he thumped her in the leg, smirking.

Aleena released an ear-splitting scream of pain. No amount of adrenaline or painkillers could have covered up the pain she was in.

"Stop it!" Rori screamed, struggling against Chrysanthemon's steadfast grip.

"If she stopped struggling." He squeezed again and Aleena squealed, her head falling limp after. "Then _maybe_ I'd stop squeezing."

Aleena lifted her head weakly, her whole expression one of defeat.

Rori was not prepared to give up. Not now. Even if Aleena had, she would keep fighting. "Aleena, we're coming to get you!" She slipped free of Chrysanthemon's grasp and ran across the floor as fast as her injured body could manage but that break while in Chrysanthemon's arms had taken her body out of its state of shock and she could now feel every injury she had sustained. She collapsed onto her knees, her legs splayed out and her arms just barely holding her up as she pushed them out in front of her. "I won't leave you!"

"Rori!" Chrysanthemon shouted, flying after her.

Aleena looked at her, the green eyes downcast. Her teeth were clenched tight, like she was holding herself back from doing something. The sweat, dirt and cuts on her face had removed any semblance of the old strong Aleena. From her already messy hair, a matted clump of blue hair fell in front of her mouth as she opened it to speak. "Leave! _Now_!"

"Don't be stupid, we can still fight; we can help!" Tyler protested, reaching out at her from Chrysanthemon's arms. The flower fairy Digimon was protectively standing over Rori while Idolonmon held an unconscious Talmon in one arm and Leomon in the other.

"For a smart guy, you're so stupid!" Aleena yelled. She shook her head, the last remnants of her hair that weren't dishevelled flew all over; the bobble that had been holding it back fell out and onto the ground. Her face was barely visible now. "Go!"

As Rori looked at her, she felt her head hurt. This wasn't right. She couldn't do this. The memory of her first moment on the base, where Aleena had helped her up from the ground during combat training flashed into her head. Ever since that simple act of kindness, when Rori had been so low, she had wanted to pay her friend back. And now, she was being told to throw that away and go. If Aleena had never met these people, if she had been alone—which she preferred—then she would have been fine. She could have been happy. Crawling towards her, Rori was determined to save her friend but her arms gave way and she fell to the floor, unable to command her body to do anything.

"Aleena…" Rori reached out, her hand shaking. "Come with us, please." Tears welled up in her eyes. This wasn't a time to cry, she had to be there for her. She had to be strong. "We need to leave together."

"GO!" Aleena roared, her blood trickling through Kayran's grip and dripping onto the floor with gentle plops.

Kayran laughed and nodded his head towards the door. "You heard her. Why don't you try get out of here alive? I'll give you a headstart." He squeezed Aleena tight, but this time she didn't scream, she held firm. "And leave _her_ to me."

"You disgusting excuse for a human being!" Tyler yelled. "How dare you think you can get away with this!"

"Think?" Kayran chuckled. "I _know_ I can get away with this."

Rori tried her best to hold back the tears, looking at Aleena.

"Leave me!" Aleena sounded pained, like she was struggling just to talk.

Shaking her head, Rori turned back to Chrysanthemon, who quickly scooped her up. The tears ran down Rori's cheeks now; the dam had burst. She turned back to Kayran and pointed. "Don't you dare hurt her!"

"Just shut up and go, you idiot!" Aleena screamed, spittle flying out from between her hair.

Rori wiped her eyes clean. "We'll come back for you." She sniffed and then looked firm at her friend. She wanted to mean these words with every fibre of her being. " _I promise._ "

Rori sullenly looked up at her partner. "Let's go."

Both Digimon left the room quickly, with Idolonmon hanging back to keep an eye on Kayran as they slipped through the door. He fired off two red lasers at the doorway behind them, collapsing it and then flew after Chrysanthemon.

Rori felt the tears coming again, thick and fast. She was so annoyed at herself. What she had just done was unforgivable.

~.~.~

Aleena watched them go, and eventually the sound of Idolonmon's heavy footsteps faded. She allowed her head to fall, staring at the ground as the blood and sweat mixed on the tip of her pudgy nose, dripping off slowly. "I know you will," she whispered softly.

"I think I'm going to cry. It's so touching," Kayran teased.

"Shut the hell up!" Aleena screamed, writhing about in his arms. The pain she was in was unimaginable; she had never felt anything like it before. Not even close.

Kayran laughed raucously and then turned her to face him. Any idea that she had control of her body was wiped away in that moment. "I can't wait to show you all the brilliant things I have in store for you." He looked over at Alice and smirked. "After your sister failed, I was in need of a new test subject." His fist flew into her face and she allowed the darkness to consume her.

~.~.~

Rori quietly sobbed as the group continued through the desolated battlefields. There had been so much hurt, so much anger today. No one said anything until they headed towards Corinne's battleground. What if she had lost? And the others? What if they had to leave with just the two of them?

"She'll be alright; you know?" Tyler looked at her, his cool blue eyes feeling warm in that moment. "I'm sure of it."

Rori nodded. In some ways, she knew herself that Aleena was strong enough to hold on. "I know she will." But Rori didn't want her to have to.

The alarm blared loudly as they entered, the red flashing disorientating. Blood was splattered around the room and they both quickly feared the worst. She felt Tyler's hand grip her wrist tightly, digging into her sore flesh. But in that moment, she needed someone too. Grabbing his hand, she looked at him as he turned to her. "Tyler?"

"Rori, she's…" Tyler looked back at where he had been looking.

Corinne was lay on the ground; her body so beat up it was hard to comprehend. King and Calmoonmon were nearby.

"Quick!" she exclaimed, noticing no one was moving.

Chrysanthemon sped over, with Idolonmon following slower. She set both of them down, looking around. "Safe."

Tyler lifted Corinne into his arms gently, as if he were cradling a flower. "Corinne…"

Rori placed a hand on his shoulder, looking down at the sleeping girl.

"I'm alright," Corinne whispered hoarsely, her eyes still closed.

Rori almost jumped in shock. She glanced at Tyler and saw a smile spreading from ear to ear and his blue-grey eyes twinkling like stars.

"Let's go home." Corinne became limp, her breathing slowing slightly.

Tyler sniffed and looked at Rori. "I knew she wasn't."

"I know you did." Rori smiled.

Chrysanthemon lifted them up, bundling them into her arms and continuing towards the corridors of the Office block.

"I did, I swear." Tyler looked back down at Corinne, who he was still holding. It was kind of cute, how much he actually cared. He sniffed, wiping tears from his eyes with his forearm.

"Never give up, eh, Ty?" Idolonmon said, the strain in his voice immediately apparent.

"Never give up." Tyler stroked Corinne's face gently, brushing a blonde curl free from her cheek.

~.~.~

"Kill the intruders!" How rude!

"We can't yet!" Well, that was at least a bit of a relief.

Zalyea looked around at the circle of strange men and women in suits. Most were pointing guns at them.

"Yo, you hear that?" Zalyea grabbed Len's hand. This was a terrifying moment.

"I'm not scared; you don't have to hold my hand." Len tried to pull himself free.

"I know you ain't." Zalyea gripped tighter. She would never admit it was for her own good. "I ain't either, but I once heard somefing about united we tall and together we fall."

Len snorted and started laughing. How could he laugh at a time like this?

"What?" Zalyea exclaimed.

"That's the wrong quote!" he laughed louder, his face lighting up. It was actually nice to see him like this. Especially after what had happened.

"Be quiet and put your hands up!" One of the suits yelled. "We don't wanna shoot you."

"We needa grab Alex before they lynch him." She pushed herself up, checking her Digivice as she did. Gaimon was still out of it.

"Who needs to grab who?"

Zalyea turned around to see Alex behind them, grinning through the blood caked onto his face.

He gave them a thumbs up. "I'm fine."

"When'd you get here?" Zalyea resisted the urge to show she was happy to see him.

"Why, you miss me?" Alex winked. "Just before these guys got here I came to check on you two."

Rolling her eyes, Zalyea looked around. "Why haven't they done anything yet?"

"They must want to capture rather than kill. The threat is just to keep us from doing anything." Len grabbed his Digivice, pressing Encompass and sucked Iontramon into it.

Alex looked at the guards and then walked closer to them. "Both of your shrouds faded?"

Zalyea shook her head. "There's _no_ way I'm using that crazy thing again!" Last time it had screwed with her vision.

"I'd rather not, too," Len muttered.

"I guess we're alone then." Alex laughed weakly, looking at the guards with a pained expression. "Do you think we can escape?"

"Before they shoot?" Len whispered.

"Yeah." Alex gulped, gripping his Digivice tightly.

Len shook his head. "Probably not."

There was a loud explosion and chunks of rubble flew into the air. Idolonmon and Chrysanthemon burst out of the smoke.

"Leaf Dance." Leaves quickly formed a dome around them before Zalyea could register anything.

"Killer Instinct."

As the dome moved away, the guards were blown apart and Chrysanthemon and Idolonmon were stood in front of them, data orbs flying off their bodies.

"You got Leomon!" Alex exclaimed. "We're heroes!"

Len looked at Tyler, staying silent. Had it affected him that badly?

"Yo, you guys alright?" Zalyea asked, wiping her face with her jacket sleeve.

"Rori, Encompass." Tyler was ignoring her. His face was stern as Idomon and Orchidemon flopped to the ground, exhausted. Idomon was sucked into Tyler's Digivice and he walked over to them.

"You guys really draw a crowd." Rori puffed out air and smirked as Orchidemon was sucked in. Something in Rori's happy demeanour was off but Zalyea couldn't grasp it.

"It wasn't us!" Musta been you!" Zalyea joked. Talking about feelings was not her jam.

"I'm not blaming you," Rori said, holding up her hands and half-laughing.

Alex smirked. "Ladies, listen." He wrapped his arm around Zalyea's shoulder. "I'm sure the three of us can work this out."

"Shut up!" Zaylea shoved him off.

Tyler pulled Aleena's bag over his shoulder, straining slightly. It was surprising enough no one had taken the bag away but all that extra cash would come in handy. Maybe he'd let her borrow some to buy those new trainers she had seen last week.

"Activate the Digiportal for Gimi's house."

Then it clicked. "Where's bubble-gum head? Shouldn't we wait for her?" He had her bag. And Talmon was here.

"And why are you and Corinne cuddling?" Alex stood up, crossing his arms. "I wanna get in on that action."

Tyler and Rori looked at each other but didn't say anything.

"Can you hold her, actually, Al?" Ty said, holding out Corinne's limp body.

"Gladly!" Alex wrapped his arm around the blond, tossing her over his shoulder and withdrawing his Digivice with his free hand.

"Thank you, Alex." Tyler glanced at Rori again but said nothing. They were hiding something. Maybe romance? Or was it about bubble-gum head?

"Go." Tyler said.

Together, they pressed the button on their Digivices and the Digiportal appeared.

* * *

 **So Aleena has been left with Kayran, I wonder what his plans are? How will the others cope with their loss? How changed is everyone by the battle? Will they finally get a break? Stick with me to find out soon.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	34. Chapter 33: Faster

Taran plodded upstairs. Why on earth he was still putting up with all of this was quickly becoming lost after eating yet another unsatisfying meal of salad. Holding one hand on his stomach and the other on the slippery wooden bannister, he looked up the stairs and exhaled heavily. Climbing all these steps was so tiring. With each touch of his foot to the staircase, his stomach grumbled. Glancing over his shoulder, he lamented that he would much rather slide down the bannister and steal some food but, sadly, he had promised to be good.

"You used to love that painting when you were young."

Taran snapped his head towards the voice, scanning around the dimly lit staircase. In a dark alcove between the two floors, he was sure he could see something. A hand grabbed his wrist firmly, tugging him into the shadows, with another hand clamping over his mouth as he tried to yell out. Screaming and kick into the darkness, he clenched his eyes shut hoping they would let him go. And then they did.

Retreating back until he banged into the wall, Taran looked around for his attacker as his eyes adjusted. His heart pounded against his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins and his legs nearly buckled. "Blergh!" Taran stuck out his tongue, the taste of the hand still in his mouth. He flinched as he felt something touch him and then realised the white gloved hands were gently brushing him down. Was that the butler?

"I apologise for my informality, but I must speak with you, Master Taran." He looked around uneasily, his eyes darting back and forth like a game of tennis. Checking his watch, he quickly looked back at Taran. "I just wish it had been under." The butler ran his finger along the side of the staircase and inspected it. Flicking the dust off his fingertip, he continued, "More pleasant circumstances."

Taran eased up, his chest becoming less tight and his heart beat slowing down. "What's wrong?" He pouted, the tone made him concerned enough to forget about his own problems for a little while.

"Your parents gave you up willingly, Taran." The butler seemed uneasy, continually looking around them and speaking in hushed tones. "In order to further their lifestyle, they didn't have time to care for a young child and, at that point, they didn't have the funds for childcare." He touched his large hand to Taran's shoulder, glancing at the watch briefly. "I'm afraid to say that they do not want you."

Taran had already gathered they didn't like him, but to know they didn't even want him felt like a blow to his ego. Was he really that bad? "Why don't they want me?"

He snarled briefly. "Egomaniacs, Selfish, Narcissistic ignoramuses. You can take your pick."

Taran didn't know what those meant, but there were more important things. "Why am I here?"

"Your father—"

"He isn't my dad." Involuntarily, Taran recoiled. The very mention of the word in respect to someone other than his actual dad, especially that man annoyed him so much.

The butler sighed. "Fine." He lowered his voice. " _Mr Adené_ is about to declare bankruptcy. His public image is bad due to some bad decisions." Getting closer, he whispered, "and there was also a scandal of infidelity." He sighed, standing back up. "Basically, he needs good press."

Taran pondered the statement for a while. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "What's bankruptcy?"  
The butler looked up from his watch, narrowed his eyes and then nodded. "Fundamentally, it means he doesn't have much money."

Taran looked around. That couldn't be right. He had all these nice things and offered to buy Taran anything he wanted. "But he has all this."

" _This_." The butler looked around them then back at Taran. "Will soon disappear if his problems aren't resolved. With you here, they look like parents who were troubled about the kidnapping of their son after all these years. _Saving_ you will likely bring them everything they desire. Stock will rise and their problems will resolve."

"They didn't _save_ me." Taran crossed his arms. "I don't like them."

The butler glanced around. "I don't have long left before I have to check on Mr Adené." He looked at his shiny silver watch yet again and then gripped both of Taran's shoulders. "Stay safe, stay strong and don't trust them." He stepped out into the light, checking his watch for the millionth time.

Taran grabbed his sleeve. "My mum." He grimaced as he thought of Mrs Adené. "The one I love…" he remembered making masks out of paper plates with her on a rainy afternoon a few months ago. "Well, she taught me to always be polite and ask someone's name."

The man laughed a little. "Dominic, Dominic Devon." He left without another word, disappearing into the vast house.

Walking back up to his room, he stepped inside, leaving the light off. Without it on, maybe they would leave him alone. His fingers touched the cold metal doorknob, flicking the lock closed as he leant back against the door and listened to his thoughts. If all this was true then he had to do something, go somewhere. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he walked over to the bed and sat down, the springs bouncing him back up slightly. He ran his fingers through the soft bright duvet, the fabric comforting as he glanced out of the window at the darkening sky. Seeing that sunset reminded him of back home. Something touched his leg and then he realised he was crying. Touching the tear on his cheek with his hand in disbelief, he looked at his damp fingers. Would he ever get home? His stomach began to churn and then he climbed into the bed, slamming his face into the pillow to try and stem the flow of tears.

Stretching his arms out, he felt something touch his hands. Frowning, he pulled his face away from the pillow, wiping it clean with his arm and then lifted the pillow to see the two buttons and the Digivice. He picked up the buttons, holding them gently in his hand and wishing someone would come save him soon. Shaking his head, he put them back down and got up off the bed to change into a set of BunBoy pyjamas that were folded neatly at the foot of the bed. If he just went to sleep then he could forget about all of this and then he would be one day closer to someone coming and taking him back home.

As he zipped up the front of the pyjamas, the fuzzy material warming him up, he looked back over at the window. Walking over to it, he pushed the window open and looked out onto the grounds. They were so vast that he couldn't see another house anywhere; it was so removed from anything he knew back home. The maze down below, with all the flowers, pathways and other stuff he couldn't make out in the darkness was so confusing. A gust of wind threw the BunBoy hood off his head, the ears flapping about behind him before falling flat on his back. The icy wind bit into his skin and he took a sharp inhale through his nose, the cold piercing his nostrils and turning him into an icicle, inside and out. Firmly holding onto the windowsill, he peered over the edge to see how far the drop was. At this height, he knew that would be it for sure. However, if he even went near the front door then someone would definitely spot him.

"What's wrong Taran?"

Taran jumped and hurriedly looked for a source. He scanned his eyes across the dark furniture for anyone but there was no one. Did they have a camera or something in here?

"I'm in your Digivice, silly!"

Taran frowned. Was this a trick? "In that?" He pointed shakily at the object on his bed.

"Maybe," the voice teased, giggling.

Taran stepped across the floor slowly, the padded feet of his pyjamas slapping quietly against the flooring, until he reached the bed.

"Right here," the little voice chimed.

Taran sat down on the bed and picked up the Digivice, looking at the little creature that was finally awake. The name flooded back into his head and he exclaimed elatedly, "Pumon." The corners of his mouth slid up into a grin and his brown eyes lit up. "I almost forgot about you! I'm so sorry!"

"That's me; I'm your Digimon partner!" The little Digimon cheered, bouncing around the screen. "You can let me out, you know!? It's too small in here for me to bounce!"

Taran lifted the Digivice and looked underneath. Out where? He looked back at the screen sceptically, raising one eyebrow. "I can?"

"Yeah, just press that one on the side!" Pumon bounced against the side of the Digivice. "I know cause I'm smart, you see! The best Digimon around!"

Taran got close and whispered, "You're also super loud, I don't want to get caught, Pumon."  
"SORRY!" Pumon giggled. "I'll fight whoever catches you so let me out!"

Taran gingerly placed his finger on the button. "This one?"

Pumon nodded eagerly. "Yup!"

Pressing the button down, Taran was astounded as a green light flew out from the Digivice and encompassed his hand. "What's happening?" Taran yelled, trying to shake the warm light off his hand. Flinging his arm outwards and jumping back, he saw the green light fly off but fell off the bed in the process.

His legs in the air and his head throbbing, Taran groaned. What on earth had just happened?

"I'm FREE!" Pumon bounced off the edge of the bed onto Taran's face and then back onto the bed. "Free, I tell you!"

Taran scrambled to his feet and watched the little green ball bounce. Was this real? Had he hit his head that hard? "P— Pumon?"

"That's me!" He bounced up onto Taran's face, kissing him.

Taran wiped his face, knocking Pumon off. "Blergh!" He sat up, sticking out his tongue. "Don't kiss me!"

"Why not?" Pumon cocked his head, which was also his whole body. "You saved me."

"So!" Taran blurted, wiping his mouth again. He climbed back onto the bed and crossed his arms angrily.

"I heard humans do it to show love, and I love you!"

Taran furrowed his brows and glared at the little Digimon. "You can't." He shook his head exasperatedly. "It's naughty. Only mummies and daddies can do it."

"What are mummies and daddies?" Pumon bounced. "Are they friends?" He narrowed his eyes, forming a snarl that showed his sharp little teeth. "Or food?"

Taran gasped in shock. Was Pumon being serious? "You don't know?" Picking Pumon up, he leapt backwards onto the bed, bouncing up and down while cradling the little Digimon.

"You can jump too? Let's do it together!" Pumon leapt out of Taran's arms and began to bounce on the bed, the multi-coloured feather on his head flapping back and forth.

Taran placed a hand on Pumon, holding him still. "Listen!"

Pumon pouted. "I can listen and bounce."

"Fine." Taran slid his hand off the excitable Digimon's head and clasped his hands gently on his belly, looking up at the roof. "They're just the bestest people ever. He threw his arms into the air, kicking his legs and grinning. "Mine are the most good though."

Pumon stopped bouncing. "Why?"

" _Because_ they cuddle me when I'm sick, and they kiss me goodnight and make sure the bad men don't get me while I sleep. Oooh! And, they buy you lots of sweets when you're good!"  
Pumon began to drool. "Sweets are food…" He rolled onto his back, the drool dribbling onto the duvet. "I like sweets."

Taran grinned, sitting bolt upright. "ME TOO!"

Taran fell backwards onto the bed and sighed tiredly. His parents weren't around at the moment and he had no idea when he would see them or his brothers and sisters again.

"Can we go see your mummy and daddy?" The words stung. Taran knew Pumon hadn't intended them to, but it was something he wished for more than anything and yet he couldn't do.

Something began to tickle his feet. Taran kicked out and covered his mouth to try and hold back the raucous laughter that he could feel building in his belly. Looking down, he saw Pumon using the feather on his head to tickle Taran's feet with a mischievous grin.

Pumon bounced onto his chest with a gentle bump. "Well?"

Taran calmed down and shook his head. "I want to but Aleena said to stay here." He lolled his head back looking at the roof. "And Aleena always knows best."

Pumon began to bounce up and down. "But it's making you sad. And I like when you're happy!" He bounded on top of Taran, laughing.

Taran grunted as Pumon knocked the wind out of him, catching the little green ball. "That hurt, Pumon." He frowned. "You can't just jump on people without asking."

"Sorry…" Pumon looked downtrodden and then his face slowly lifted, a grin forming. "Let's go get some sweeties!"

Taran bit his lip. "I dunno..." It was a hard decision. Leaving this room put him at risk of being shouted at by those people.

" _PLEASE_!" The little Digimon said, elongating the word.

"Fine." Taran sighed and sat up. "But you have to be quiet," he whispered, putting his index finger to his lips. Cautiously, he picked up the Digivice and the two buttons, dropping them all into the saggy front pocket of his pyjamas. He couldn't be sure if he would need them, especially now he was doing something naughty.

Carrying Pumon over to the door, he opened it slowly and looked around outside to see if anyone was about. But, luckily, the coast was clear. Slipping out, he pulled the door closed behind him and then peered down the stairs. It was clear. So far so good. He crept down the wooden staircase, afraid to move too fast for fear of being caught and reprimanded.

Taran remembered the Christmas eve where his life had changed. All that had started with creeping down stairs too. The stairs of his family home. He stopped, his feet not willing to move.

"What're you doing?" Pumon whispered.

Taran felt his lip tremble and an involuntary tear rolled down his cheek, dropping onto Pumon's head. "I miss mum and dad." He kept crying like this; like he was a big baby.

The little Digimon looked up. "You're leaking." He waved his feather about. "Want to borrow my feather to plug the hole?"

Taran sniffed and took the feather gently, wiping his eye. "Thank you."

Pumon flicked his feather about. "You're gunky." He then looked back down the stairs. "Now, sweeties."

Taran nodded, trying to forget about his family, if only briefly. "Okay." Taran slipped down the rest of the stairs quickly, casting a quick glance around as he reached the bottom before he rushed over to the dining room. He had never been in to the kitchen before, but he had seen people come in with food through a door in the dining room so there had to be food through there and that was good enough.

The door squeaked loudly behind Taran as it swung shut. He tensed up, expecting to be caught. The room was dark, with the obscure mahogany wooden furniture inside blending into the shadows. It looked a lot different at night times.

"This isn't sweeties," Pumon grumbled.

"The food comes from there," Taran whispered, pointing at the door on the right. "Come—" The door in question swung open and light spilled into the room, dazzling Taran a little.

Diving onto the floor, he crawled underneath the table as footsteps resounded around the large dining room. His heart thudded against his ribcage, threatening to break free and reveal his hiding spot.

"I coulda sworn ah 'eard somefink." Who was that? It didn't sound like Mr or Mrs Adené.

Taran covered his mouth, trying not to breathe as the black boots continued to walk around the room. A cupboard swung open.

"Hmm." It slammed shut again.

"What's he doing?" Pumon whispered.

The feet spun to face them and Taran silently cursed his rotten luck. Pumon would have to be taught to not be so naughty.

Slowly, the feet came towards them. With each thud of the heavy black boots against the wooden flooring, Taran felt his heart rate skyrocket. A chair flew out abruptly. They'd been caught. Taran clenched his eyes shut in fear as the footsteps continued. Then there was nothing but a little rustle. Slowly, he cracked open one eyelid and looked up to see a pair of legs under the table in front of him. The striped blue and white trousers were covered at the top with a white piece of fabric from whatever he was wearing on top.

"Am going batty 'cause a all 'em fumes. Berrah tek a brek." He stretched his legs out, booting Taran in the face.

Taran whimpered, unable to resist but quickly crawled away, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Wha' were tha'?" The chef mumbled. His bearded middle-aged face appeared as he bent over and spotted Taran, his eyes flying wide.

Leaping up, Taran kept low to avoid banging his head and ran for the nearest door he could see.

Heavy footsteps flanked him, quick and close as Taran tore the door open and ran through. Thwack! A mop smacked him in the face and he quickly realised that this was a cleaning cupboard as chemicals flanked him on all sides. Like the kind his mum would use on Sundays. He panicked, and turned back to run for another door but a robust shadowy frame was now taking up his only exit.

"Taran." He leaned closer, his tired face becoming slightly clearer in the dim light. "'s it?"

Taran nodded meekly, cowering back into a corner. He squeezed Pumon tightly as the man exhaled heavily. He was in big trouble now.

"I ber et's sweets yeh beh wantin'." The chef's narrow hazel eyes homed in on Taran, fixating him like a deer in headlights.

Taran shook his head vehemently. Admitting something like that would just make the trouble he was in even worse.

"Don' lie t' meh, boy. Le's be havin' ya." He moved aside, and held out a large arm towards the kitchen. "Come on. Quick Like."

Taran stared at him, completely unable to process what had just happened. Was it a trick? He looked down at Pumon, but the little Digimon had no words of support and was just salivating at the thought of sweets. Slowly, Taran walked out of the cleaning cupboard. This man seemed nice at least.

Behind him, the man slammed the cleaning cupboard door.

Taran flinched, expecting to be shouted at but he felt a firm, calloused hand in his hair. Looking up, he saw the chef grin and smiled back. It made him feel warm in his belly.

The chef laughed and ruffled his hair. Pushing him gently towards the kitchen door, the man said, "Come on, lad."

Taran gazed around the large white tiled kitchen from his place atop a stainless steel countertop, that, like the rest of the kitchen, was sparkling. A twang of melancholy confused him as he struggled to find the cause. This was the best thing to happen to him in ages.

The chef was watching him closely. His hazel eyes looked apologetic, hiding something behind that careful gaze. This felt a lot like pity, but why? The chef was making him stay here too so why wasn't he mean like everyone else?

Frowning, Taran reached into the tub of chocolate chip ice cream on the counter and spooned a large amount into his mouth. Slowly, he lifted the tub, holding it out to the chef. "Want some?" In his grip, he could feel Pumon struggling to restrain himself for the next bite.

The chef shook his head. "Nah, lad. You 'av et." He turned back around and chopped some carrots on a wooden board that had seen better days.

Taran spooned out a chunk of ice cream and rammed it into Pumon's mouth. "Stay quiet _please_ ," Taran whispered, pulling the spoon out. He looked at the spoon, which didn't even have a speck of ice cream on anymore in amazement and then noticed the chef was looking at him again while tossing the carrots into a metal pan. It was that same look. "Have you told them I'm awake?" He glanced at the door nervously, expecting Mr and Mrs Adené to run in any second and shout at him.

The chef shook his head and looked down at the floor while sighing loudly. He looked up slightly, clearly battling inner difficulties by the way he was frowning. "Lad, are yeh gonna leave?"

Really, Taran hadn't considered it wholeheartedly. Sure, he'd thought about running away. But right now, at this moment, he could just leave and never look back. All of the doors were open for the butlers and other members of staff to come and go as they pleased. Looking at the chef, the metal spoon hanging out of his mouth, he wasn't sure what to say. The spoon fell from his lips, clattering against the countertop. He shook himself from the daze he was in and managed to stammer, "Leave? What do you mean?"

The chef paused, seeming to find it hard to answer as he opened and closed his mouth more than a few times. He gripped the counter behind him, leaning back on it as he faced Taran. "Run, lad."

Did he mean to hurry back upstairs before they noticed? Was this a game? Hide and Seek? "… Back upstairs?"

"No, lad." The chef rubbed his temples with his large fingers. "Don' yeh see?" He glanced around. "You gotta ge' while yeh can. They won' pu' you wi' someone, see." The chef walked over to the kitchen door, pushing it gently open and peering out into the dining room before coming back over. "This… thing they're doin'. Where they use ya to mek 'emselves look good?" He shook his head. "Ih won' last." Folding his arms, he leaned back. "They'll drop yeh in a wood or somefink and drive off, lad. Yeh gotta go now. Trust meh."

Taran was fixated on the chef's grey-brown moustache. It was so full and thick. Each hair was wiry and individually strong, but together they looked soft and bouncy. This was the perfect distraction from the fear he was feeling but he couldn't hide forever. His lip trembling, Taran quietly said, "I'm confused." The world outside was so big and he was so little. He had no idea where he was or where to go and this man wanted him to run out there all alone. How could he?

The chef spun, reaching into the cabinet above his head. He withdrew a green rucksack from behind a sack of potatoes. "I fort this migh' come in handy when ah 'eard wha' they were gonna do." He held it out, shaking it. "Tek it. Goh everfink ya'll need."

Taran looked at the green rucksack worriedly. His brow wrinkled and he felt his fingers digging into the cool metal countertop as he held on for dear life.

"Tek this and run now, lad. Theh kitchen outside door is open. Don' look back." He indicated the big metal door to his left with his thumb.

Taran stared at his kind, withering face. Was he serious? He glanced at the metal door. What if this was all a trick? What would Aleena say?  
"Taran, ice cream is empty. Let's go." Pumon burped loudly as his tongue, which had cleaned the inside of the tub to a sparkling white, rolled back into his mouth.  
Taran hissed, "I told you to be quiet."

"Ah knew et was one of 'em!" The chef looked closer at Pumon, a smile growing at the corners of his mouth. "Tha's double tha reason for yeh to scram. So, go on, do et!"

Gingerly, Taran reached out for the bag and pulled it onto his back before hopping down from the counter. He glanced around, confused. "Where?" He furrowed his brow. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was a trick. His legs wouldn't listen to him. Would Aleena be okay with this? Would she still be able to find him? His mind was racing with possibilities and questions.

The chef gripped his hand tightly, leading him over to the big red metal door at the back of the kitchen. He shoved it open and kept his hand splayed on the door, allowing the cold night air to blow in. "Out this door an' keep runnin'. An' don' look back, lad." He smiled, ruffling Taran's hair with his other hand. "Ah can' allow a baern t' beh treated like an object."

Pumon bounced up into Taran's arms. "I bet there's more sweets out there somewhere," he said, salivating again.

Taran looked out into the darkness and couldn't see anything, definitely not sweets. "I don't think so," he muttered, his voice quavering.

A gentle push on his back forced him forwards down the little wooden steps and onto the solid earth below. "Good luck, lad."

Taran searched around in the darkness beyond the dim glow of the kitchen light behind but nothing was possible to make out. Gripping Pumon tightly, he turned back to the chef. Maybe this wasn't the right idea. The door slammed closed and the light vanished. Was this a trick? He was in so much trouble now!

"I'm scared, Pumon." Taran hadn't wanted to admit it so readily but it flew out of him like machine gun fire. He was supposed to be brave. Pumon was the younger one.

"What are you waiting for?" Pumon laughed. "RUN!"

Taran nodded and started to run away into the darkness. He didn't know where he was going so he ran straight forwards, barely able to see just in front of him. Surely, he would find somewhere eventually. Piles of rubbish and food waste littered the area around the kitchen door but beyond that was soft grass, which was easier to run on.

Suddenly, he heard voices and shouting. Then lights began to burst on, flying all over the grass around him. The chef had told on him? So, this really was just a trick? It was all too much too sudden and it left him frozen on the grass in front of the fence. He spun back, his chest heaving up and down as he panted, looking to see what was happening. He was trapped. "Pumon, I'm scared."

"Keep going!" Pumon cheered.

"Where?" Taran looked up at the fence. It wasn't exactly the freedom he had imagined.

"Taran!" It was that crazy evil woman. There was no way he would turn back for her so he was going to have to find a way out.

"Pumon!" Taran squeezed his partner, terrified.

"Hurry!" Pumon yelled, struggling free from the grip and bouncing onto the floor. "Up the fence!"

"Get him!" Mrs Adené screamed. Footsteps pounded the ground behind him along with loud barking.

Taran glanced up at the fence. It was so tall. "I'm not sure if—"

"Put me in your bag." Pumon bounced into Taran's hands. "Quick."

Taran nodded. He would need his hands for climbing and he couldn't carry Pumon at the same time. He pulled the bag off, allowing Pumon to drop in to it. Pulling the cord tight, Taran swung it back over his back. "I'm not sure I can do this," he whimpered.

From his bag came the muffled reply, "Yes, you can. Now, go!"

Taran reached for the fence, gripping onto the cold metal but his arm flopped back to his side. "I don't know how!"

"You can do it, just go!"

Taran took a deep breath in and grabbed the fence with both hands. He raised his foot to fit into one of the gaps in the links. With every movement, he felt his mind race with everything that could go wrong.

"Stop right there!"

* * *

 **So Taran's parents aren't all they seem and the butler is hiding something. Where exactly will Taran and Pumon go? Will they even manage to escape? And who knows if they can actually survive alone.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	35. Chapter 34: Campfire

Taran scrabbled up the fence, terrified as the thin metal wires dug into his little hands.

"TARAN!" Mrs Adené screamed, her voice vibrating in the still night air.

He looked over his shoulder at her, freezing from the blustering wind that constantly blew through his pyjamas. There was no way he was going to go back there but he couldn't move any further. Something about her fierce gaze petrified him like she was Medusa from his bedtime stories.

"Get down this instant!" She pointed her finger firmly at the muddy ground.

Taran stared at her vacantly. She was literally shaking with rage. Slowly, he shook his head; he was unable to vocalise a response.

Mrs Adené turned to one of the men in black clothes next to her. In his hand was something that shone silver in the moonlight. That shape… was it a gun? "Take him down. Just…" She glanced at Taran, her voice hesitant, "Don't kill him." She was going to shoot him! Taran's heart seemed to stop and he felt his legs go weak.

Stoically, the man lifted his gun and pulled the trigger in one swift motion.

In a flash of blue, then gold light, Taran felt warm. Was he dead? All he could see was a blinding golden light in front of him. Did he walk towards the light or away? It was too hard to remember.

"What the hell is that?" Mrs Adené roared. "Kill it!"

Sadly, he wasn't dead and neither was Mrs Adené. Taran looked up at the golden light, gazing up until he saw it end and form a long strip. Wind pushed him back against the fence, but it was different this time—warmer. Then he heard wings flapping. Huge, powerful wings. Was this a bird? He gripped on tight to the metal, his fingers hurting as he tried to stop himself from being torn free of the fence and thrown to the ground.

"Don't worry." The voice was unfamiliar but comforting nonetheless. Like a mother's voice. "Star-Light Explosion!" Its four wings flew backwards, locking Taran in place—unable to go up or down—and then they beat forwards, unleashing a wave of golden light. The attack threw Mrs Adené, and the men with her, all the way across the gardens. They landed with a thud at the doorstep of the house, the light of the attack dimming down as the huge bird turned to face Taran with its ancient blue eyes.

It was a monolithic bird, bigger than any Taran had ever imagined in his wildest dreams, with four golden wings and a colourful yellow-purple plumage poking out of the sleek golden helmet that covered its head. The black underbelly and claws were a sharp contrast to the rest of the bird, but both were scarred and showed Taran that this bird meant business.

"Don't move." The bird floated towards Taran like a spooky ghost.

As it had said, he was unable to move a single muscle. He was transfixed by the brilliance of the bird. Was it a Digimon too or something else entirely?

The golden rings on its ankles rattled as it grabbed hold of Taran with one of its claws, almost engulfing him entirely.

His senses and ability to move were immediately returned by the heart-stopping fear of being kidnapped. Taran tried to struggle, but it was impossible. He was now at the mercy of this bird. "Help!" He struggled against the ironclad grip but the cold rough claws wouldn't budge an inch. In his backpack, he could feel Pumon struggling to get free.

The golden bird took off into the air, flying higher and higher with each beat of its massive wings. They reached dizzying heights in a matter of moments, the mansion that had been his prison was now the size of a pin and yet he would rather be back there than here. What if he fell? That would be it. It would be even scarier than when Nyx, Aleena and Ben took him to that forest. His mind flickered back to Reuben and Nyx and what happened to them for just a flash and when he regained his senses he had bitten straight through his bottom lip. Powerful winds buffeted Taran's face, blowing his curly hair all over and spraying the fresh blood all over him. He clenched his eyes shut, unable to see anything in the darkness and screamed out in pain. His lip was throbbing now but he couldn't do anything to help it.

The wind pushed hard against his face, like a wall, and then it all stopped and he felt himself rolling across the dirt. Something smacked into his back, knocking the wind out of him. Disorientated and his face still hurting too, he opened his eyes. The mud on the ground had splattered across his face and hair and obscured the golden light ahead slightly.

The bird shuffled its feathers and leaned its golden head in.

With his heart throbbing as he tried to calm himself down, Taran gripped the ground tightly. Where was he? What had happened? Who was this?

"Are you alive?" The bird cocked its head to the side. "Talk to me, it's okay."

"Are we alive?" Pumon roared, bursting out of Taran's backpack and bouncing towards the bird. "How about I make you not alive!" Pumon bounced up at the bird, bopping it on the nose with his little green body. "Taking us without asking, so rude," he grumbled.

The bird Digmon laughed gently, and then louder, the laughter shaking the trees and causing any nearby wildlife to scatter with a scurry of feet and wings.

"I… am Hououmon—a Digimon." Hououmon sat down—rather awkwardly—and folded her wings in slightly.

Taran pushed himself up slowly against the tree behind him, the pain in his back still radiating outwards but his breath had returned. The blood from his lip dribbled down, dropping onto his legs.

"Let me help." Hououmon reached out with a wing.

Taran winced, recoiling away. Was Hououmon going to blast him like she did earlier with Mrs Adené? Then the pain faded away as he felt a single feather brush his face.

"All better." Hououmon folded her wings back in.

Taran was astounded. Had she really just fixed his lip just like that? His back was still sore but he was almost too shocked to even notice. "T— Thanks…" He reached in his pocket for the buttons and his Digivice but realised Hououmon seemed quite nice. He withdrew the buttons, dropping them into his rucksack and pulling it closed again after Pumon had popped out.

"Of course, sweetie." Hououmon's voice was so warm and loving.

Taran snapped back to reality, realising that his feet were completely freezing, even with the foot coverings of the blue and white BunBoy pyjamas. Speaking of the pyjamas, they were now dirty beyond repair. His mum would be so mad if she saw him right now. Pulling his arms in close, he flicked the hood of the pyjamas up over his head, the long blue ears now dangling down over his face. "Are you a nice Digimon?" Taran asked slowly. She hadn't killed him yet, so presumably she was.

Hououmon moved closer, her warm golden light enveloping Taran and Pumon. He was grateful for it for sure. "I think Sora used to say I was nice sometimes." The Digimon seemed contemplative, slow and purposeful with her speech. "She used to say a lot of things, actually."

Taran frowned. "Why doesn't she say stuff anymore?"

Hououmon smiled, if what you could call she did a smile, and said, "She had to leave me to spread her love."

"Why does she have to spread it?" Taran crossed his legs, planting his hands on his knees and leaning forwards. "She could have just kept it with you, right?"  
Hououmon nodded slowly. "She could but…" Hououmon looked wistfully up at the sky. "Sora always did care more about others than herself."

Taran leaned back, resting on his hands, and looked up too; the night stars were dazzling out here. Back home, he could never see them because it was still so bright on a night from all the lights in Acquina. He didn't realise there were so many beautiful twinkly lights right above his head like guardian angels. Somehow, with them, he didn't feel so alone anymore.

Hououmon shook her head. "Enough of that. I came to save you, but, sadly, you are not yet safe."

He wasn't safe? But he was free from those evil people. Taran sat up, more attentively. "What do you mean?"

Hououmon sighed. "You're in the human continent of Europe."

Taran shook his head. He couldn't be. He lived in England. Europe was across the sea. The sea was huge! This wasn't right. "No!" he managed to blurt out, his tongue almost tripping over itself.

Pumon looked up at Taran with his little green eyes and then at Hououmon. "You heard him. No!"

"From you I feel a great… energy." Hououmon's voice reminded Taran of his grandma. "While we wait for him, do you need anything?"

Taran looked at Hououmon then back at Pumon. Why were they so different? And Talmon, Gabumon and Agumon had all been so different too. And mean old Alphamon. "How come all Digimon are so different?"

One of Hououmon's wings extended down and wrapped around Pumon, lifting him into the air.

"Hey, put me down! Who do you think you are?" Pumon yelled, wriggling.

"Pumon is a Rookie level Digimon, and I." Hououmon looked at Taran closer, while setting Pumon back down. "Am a Mega level Digimon."

"I'll still kick you back where you came from!" Pumon yelled, bouncing up and down angrily.

Hououmon glanced at Pumon and then back at Taran. "We are also of a different species."

Taran nodded slowly. So, they were like a puppy and a big cat. Similar but different. He remembered the strange object Pumon had popped out of. "What is this for?" He withdrew the device and held it out.

Hououmon brought her face closer, inspecting it. "It reminds me of the Digivices that Sora and the others had. They were able to bond the two of us together, allowing us to reach higher levels."

"So Pumon could become like you?" Taran gasped. "Wow!"

Hououmon laughed lightly. "Sort of."

A twig snapped. "It took a while to find you out here."

Taran looked for the source of the voice, his heart thudding against his chest. Who was it? What did they want? Had they come for him?

A blond head emerged from the trees, attached to the body of twenty-something man. He flicked his blond hair back and smiled, his pearly whites visible even in the dark. "Hey, Taran. Matt Ishida." He walked towards them, slowly becoming more visible. "Glad I finally met you." He stopped as he reached the golden light of Hououmon and ran his fingers through the sculpted blond waves of hair on his head. He unzipped his black jacket, revealing the logo for a band on his grey shirt beneath.

"Who are you?" Taran asked, grabbing Pumon and gripping him tightly.

"I'm one of the original Digidestined." Matt sat down across from Taran, one leg stretched out in front of him and the other bent up so he could rest his arm on it. With the other arm, he withdrew a palm-sized silver object. "See, this is my Digivice."

Taran looked down at his own Digivice and then back at Matt. "How do you know my name?"

"Do I need to beat you up?" Pumon struggled free from Taran's arms, growling like a puppy dog.  
Matt chuckled and placed a hand on Pumon, setting him still with a scratch behind the ears. "You're a special boy, Taran." He withdrew a harmonica from the pocket of his black trousers, waving it. "Do you like music?"

"Hey, don't stop scratching me!" Pumon growled.

Matt chuckled and petted Pumon on the head.

Taran slowly nodded. He did like to listen to music that made him want to dance or had silly lyrics.

"One minute." Matt cleared his throat, coughing loudly and then pursed his lips, placing them near the harmonica. A smooth sweet sound came out from the small metal instrument, vibrating Taran's chest slightly as it resonated in the air. Matt moved his mouth along the instrument, changing the pitch and then he began to blow rhythmically, putting Taran almost into a trance. The magical music continued on for what felt like forever, seeming to wrap all around Taran.

Matt pulled away from the harmonica after a while, pocketing it with a small smile. On his pale cheek, there was a tear drying slowly and Taran felt bad for him.

"Why are you crying?" Taran frowned. "Was it meant to be sad?" It had made him feel like he was in a wonderland of magic and candy.

"Sometimes music makes you remember things… or people." Matt exhaled slowly.

Hououmon lowered her head, resting it on Matt's shoulder.

Matt patted Hououmon gently on the head, closing his eyes briefly before snapping them open and looking at Taran, his shining blue eyes piercing into Taran like arrows. "Taran, we need to teach you how to Digivolve Pumon."

Taran looked down at Pumon. This was very sudden. And, if it meant him having to fight like everyone else's Digimon, then Taran would rather not. "I don't know if he wants to."  
"Will I get bigger?" Pumon asked, bouncing into the air. "Let's do it!"

"Taran, has anyone talked to you about your crest?" Matt moved closer, barely a foot from Taran now. "Or, what do they call it now?" He looked over his shoulder at Hououmon.

"Trait?" Hououmon leaned in to Taran too.

Taran felt a little crowded and backed up against the tree, shaking his head. "No."

"You're unique." Matt looked down at the fizzing screen on his silver Digivice and then put it away. "You possess two crests: Light… and Hope." He clenched the fist rested on his knee but shook it off. "This is why you need to be ready to face what's coming."  
Taran felt a shiver run down his spine. "What's coming?"

"Before me and my friends were around, there were some other kids. They managed to fight and seal away a great evil." Matt frowned and looked up at Taran, his eyes apologetic and his face betraying his concern. "But the seal is weak. And it'll get out soon. And when it does…" He sighed heavily, looking down at the ground. As he lifted his head, his eyes seemed so sorry that it hurt to look at them. "Everyone will die."

Taran gasped and thought of his family, his friends. Aleena and the others! "But they can't!"

Matt nodded slowly. "They can. And they will."

Taran shook his head, balling up his fists. "We have to stop it!"

Hououmon nudged Matt, nearly knocking him over. "Stop pushing him."

Matt glanced at Hououmon and then looked at Taran. "Only the crests of Light and Hope can stop him. This is what the prophecy said. With those two crests, he can be sealed away again."

"So…" Taran pulled his hand into his chest, looking down. "I have to do it?"

Pumon bounced up. "No. _We_ have to do it. I'm your friend, Taran. I'll never let you go alone!"

Taran smiled, pulling Pumon in close. "I know. I'm your friend too."

"As for how to Digivolve Pumon, you must embody both of your traits." Matt stretched and leant back, crossing one leg over the other and using one arm to hold himself up. His other black gloved hand sat on his lap.

"What do you mean?" Taran furrowed his brow. Embody? What did that even mean?

"If you show both of your traits at a crucial moment, Pumon will Digivolve; it's harder for you because you have two traits to take on." Matt pointed at Taran and half-smiled. "But, you're special and I believe you can do it like the special ones before you did." The smirk seemed to instil confidence in Taran, as if it was a confidence transfusion.

Taran gripped his Digivice and then nodded firmly. "I'll do my best."

Matt nodded and stood up. "I'll make you a fire and keep an eye out but me and Hououmon have to go." He withdrew a black blanket from the bag on his back, tossing it to Taran. "You'll be alright here tonight."

Wait. What did he mean? They weren't going to take him somewhere safe? They were going to leave him in the dark scary woods all by himself? What if a spider came and ate him?

"Are you sure about this?" Hououmon asked.

"But it's cold, and dark!" Taran protested. He jumped up and gripped Matt's trousers.

Matt sighed, looking down with fondness in his eyes. "Fine." He picked Taran up, squeezing him tight in a bear hug before setting him back down standing. "You win; I'll wait." He picked up the blanket off the floor and sat down, his legs kicked out in front of him and his back rested against Hououmon. He patted the ground next to him. "Come on then, we don't have all night. Hououmon, can you make a fire?"

Hououmon reached out with her wing, tearing a tree in half and dropping it nearby. She was so strong and yet with just a gentle breath, she set it ablaze. A branch snapped off the log as the fire began to crackle.

Taran sat down next to Matt, leaning on him slightly. The roaring flames staved off the dark and the cold so strongly that Taran almost forgot he was outside.

Pumon sat on his lap, his eyes already closed and soft snoring coming from his big mouth.

"Do you think I'll ever get home?" Taran asked, looking up hopefully at the older male. It was all he wanted and yet it still seemed so far away.

Matt smiled slightly, but the corners of his eyes stayed the same. "For sure. And I know that you'll get to live there forever and ever."

Taran grinned, hugging him tightly and leaning on the soft fabric of his long-sleeved grey t-shirt. He felt Matt patting his head and then the older male pulled the blanket over Taran, tucking him in tightly.

Taran rested his head on Matt's lap; it was comfy there. The stars above, like twinkling lights, seemed to relax and soothe him. He could see Matt looking up too in his peripheries. "Tell me a story?"

Matt looked down. "I don't really know any…"

"You must know some!" Taran looked at him with his best puppy eyes.

"No, really. I never got chance to—" Matt choked up. His lip trembling but it slid into a smirk quickly and the emotion left his face. "I've just not told a bedtime story before."  
" _PLEASEEE!_ Any story will do!" Taran begged, pouting. "With a cherry on top!"

Matt smirked. "Alright, alright. I've got one. It's a bit long, but it's a good one." He patted Taran's head and pulled the little boy's hood up, making Taran's ears all warm and snuggly. "A long time ago, there were seven kids at summer camp…"

* * *

 **Matt Ishida confirmed. So Taran has two crests? How will he and Pumon survive alone? Is TK still around?**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	36. Chapter 35: Keep Your Chin Up

Something tickled his nose, flicking back and forth and then he heard little scratching sounds. Slowly, Taran opened his eyes and saw a big fluffy brown thing on his face. He felt his heart thud hard against his chest and his mind race as he wondered what it was. Whatever it was flew through the air as he sat bolt upright. A bear? No, too small. His eyes skimmed over it as it shot across the forest floor like a lightning bolt. A squirrel. He breathed a sigh of relief as it scurried up into the trees, leaving behind the nut it had been holding. Taran looked around for Matt or Hououmon but neither were there. They had left him. Pumon was still sleeping soundly on the floor and the fire was just embers now—little charred remnants of the roaring flames from the night before. He rubbed his head, the bright light shining through the gaps in the branches an unwelcome visitor to his spinning head. Covering his eyes from the sun as he looked up into the sky, he watched a bird fly overhead. Everything that had happened kept replaying in his mind, in fact it had been all he had dreamt about. It all culminated in the current situation; he was alone somewhere strange and had no idea how to get home. Sure, he was lonely now, but he had to keep his chin up and keep moving until he got home.

"Taran?" Pumon groaned, opening one eye. "You okay?"

Taran nodded. He was lying, of course. The question had broken what little strength he had managed to muster as he was forced to face the situation he was in. And then shook his head. "No."

Pumon opened the other eye. "What's wrong?"

"We're alone…" Taran looked around, as if to confirm it and then stood up. "I don't know what to do."

Pumon bounced up and over to Taran. "We keep going, of course!"

"Going where?" Taran chewed on his pyjama sleeve, a nervous tick of his.

Pumon looked around and then began to bound off. "This way will be fun. Come on!"

Taran rushed after Pumon. "Don't leave me behind!"

"Pumon, not so fast! I don't have any shoes!" Taran called as he rushed after his hyper friend.

Pumon turned mid-bounce and asked, "Shoes?" He stopped still on the ground and Taran nearly ran straight into him.

"Yeah, the things I put on my feet." Taran looked down at the torn and dirty soles of his feetie pyjamas. "Oh!" Taran exclaimed. He slung the backpack off his back and onto the ground. "Maybe there's some in here."

"Why do you need them?" Pumon bounced into the air, looking down into the backpack as Taran flipped the brown flap open. "I don't have any."

"So my feet don't get hurt." Taran smirked as he looked at Pumon. "You haven't got feet, silly, so you don't need them." He looked back down, grinning as he spotted some white trainers. "Got some!" He pulled them out and then slipped them on but quickly realised a flaw.

"We can go now?" Pumon asked, turning back around.

"Wait!" Taran looked down at the shoes. "I can't tie my laces."

Pumon bounced around and looked at his shoes. "I could bite them off." He opened his mouth wide, his teeth glinting brightly.

"No!" Taran held up a hand. "I'll tuck them in until a grown-up does them for me." He pulled the laces tight and then tucked them into the side of his feet. It was a bit uncomfortable but he was quite proud of his problem-solving skills. "Okay, let's go!"

"Alright!"

As they reached the edge of the forest, Taran stopped and looked out from the hill they stood atop. A small town with a few people going about their business was ahead. They mostly wore plain clothing and were slim. No one seemed to be overtly happy either. A girl was sat with her mother sewing something in front of one of the small wooden houses. Didn't she want to play? Fields full of flowers and butterflies flanked the town on either side; they looked like they would be fun to run through but no one seemed to be doing it. Seeing this was very different to how he remembered the people in his home town of Acquina during the day.

"Why don't we go down and say hi?" Pumon began to bounce down the hill towards the town.

"Wait, Pumon!" Taran sighed and ran after his partner. What if they were scary? Or if they knew Mr and Mrs Adené? Pain in his back stopped him and Taran slowed to a walk, rushing still after Pumon.

Pumon bounced up to a boy who was picking potatoes from the fields on the edge of town. "Hi, I'm Pumon!"

The boy, with blond hair that was matted with sweat and dirt looked a little taken aback. "Hallo, Ich heisse Alrik. Du bist ein Digimon? Freunde oder Feind?" He knelt down, putting the wicker basket of potatoes next to him and reached out to touch Pumon.

"Friend!" Pumon chirped, nuzzling towards the hand.

Taran cocked his head to the side. That wasn't English. "I'm Taran."

The boy's head snapped up and he retracted his hand sharply. "Englische?"

Taran nodded affirmatively. "I'm English, yeah. And I want to go home. Can you help me?"

The boy, who looked the same age as Taran, shook his head and picked up the basket. "Leave now."

Pumon looked up at Taran and then bounced into his arms. "But wait. Alvin, why is English bad here?"

He pointed at himself and said, "Alrik. Mein name ist Alrik." The boy looked at Pumon with wary hazel eyes. "Dangerous here. English bad." Did he mean his English was bad? Well, it was better than Taran's whatever he was speaking.

"Why does he understand you more than me?" Taran looked down at Pumon, who shrugged, well as well as a ball could shrug. Taran frowned, usually he made friends really easily and everyone wanted to talk to him. "Are you ignoring me?"

Alrik cocked his head to the side. "You want leave?"

Taran nodded. "Yeah, I guess." Taran chewed his sleeve and continued to speak. "I want to go home."

Alrik began walking. "Come." He stopped and looked back. "But no talk."

Taran found it hard to bite his tongue the whole time and the judging stares from everyone they walked past as they made their way through the town didn't make it any easier. It was probably wrong to call this place a town; it was closer to a village from what he had been taught in school. A village had less people and houses. There was probably only twenty or thirty buildings all set out in a row along either side of a dirt track that ran through the village and beyond into the distance. At the other edge of the village, far away, he could see a hill rose up again so he couldn't see any further. Was this even the right way to head home? As he snapped out of his daydream, he realised they had stopped in front of one of the houses. "Is this—?"

The boy slammed his finger on Taran's lips. "Shh." He pushed open the door and walked inside.

Pumon looked up. "Come on, then. Let's go!"

Taran nodded, a little afraid, and walked inside.

"Mutti! Ich bin zuhause!" Alrik called out, placing the basket of potatoes on the floor by the door. The house was a single floor and Taran could see that just past this small hallway was a smoke-filled kitchen. Heavenly scents drifted from it, causing Taran's stomach to grumble. Two doors either side of him were closed but he figured they must be bedrooms. There was no light in the hallway, just the light from the front door and from the kitchen ahead.

"Alrik?" A woman with greying hair tied in a tight bun walked out. "Du bist zuhause. Und, du hast Freunde mitgebracht! Aber, Ich erkenne dich nicht. Du lebst nicht im Dorf?" She smiled warmly, walking towards Taran. "Du heisst?"

Taran pointed at himself and looked at Alrik nervously. He wasn't allowed to talk but she was talking to him.

Alrik spoke up. "Tomas." He added quickly, "Aber, er wird bald abreisen."

"Du musst essen, Tomas. Ich habe gekocht Eintopf. Mögen sie das?"

"Nein, nein. Mutti, wir warden spielen!" Alrik exclaimed, seeming uneasy. He was bouncing from foot to foot nervously, glancing back at Taran throughout the conversation.

She brought her wooden spoon swiftly through the air towards Alrik but stopped it in front of his face. "Alrik! Ruhe bitte." She retracted the spoon and looked over at Taran. "Tomas, komm essen."

"Aber—!" Alrik protested.

"Alrik." She narrowed her gaze at him. "Tomas spricht für sich."

Taran looked between the two. The mother looked so friendly and kind but Alrik seemed to really want to get him away. Was she pretending like Mrs Adené? He had to say something. She was waiting and it was making him really nervous. Chewing his sleeve, he whispered, "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

The wooden spoon slipped from her thin fingers and clattered onto the floor, being the only sound anywhere in the house at that moment. She looked in disbelief. And then her gaunt face lit up like a raging fire. She was so angry all of a sudden. "ENGLISCHE! ENGLISCHE!" She grabbed Alrik by the ear, dragging him towards her and yelling in his face, "Du bist sehr blöd, Alrik! Wir sprechen nicht mit Englische!"

"Es tut mir leid, Mutti!"

Taran stepped back. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you."

Pumon leapt from Taran's arms, defensively baring his fangs. "Stay back!"

Alrik's mother glanced at them. "Gehen! Geh Raus!"

Pumon looked up at Taran and then back at her. "We'll get out when we want to!"

Taran frowned. This was so harsh. What had he done? She kept shouting English really angrily. Was it because he was English? But no one had ever been mean to him for this before.

She picked up her spoon and waved it at him. "Geh Raus! Jetzt! Jetzt!"

Alrik looked at them, his eyes sullen and then looked down at his feet. "Sorry…"

"Come on, Taran, let's go." Pumon bounced outside and Taran followed closely, afraid to be alone with the angry woman.

"Englische! Englische ist hier!" She yelled out the front door after him.

At that point, the earlier animosity from the villagers exploded into full blown rage as everyone in earshot picked up the nearest object to hand and bared it like a weapon.

Taran felt himself shrink to the size of a pea and fear struck him in place like a statue. Control of his bladder was about to slip from his grasp as a man smashed a chair, grabbing the broken chair leg and baring the pointed end at Taran as he advanced.

A bright flash to his right shocked Taran, breaking him from the trance he was in. From the flash burst a large creature. It looked like a devil from picture books but in a white hue, save for a few black belts. Tattered white bat-like wings protruded from its back, which beat forcefully and blew the villagers near it backwards. Its humanoid head had two large horns either side and then it spoke with a menacing yet velvety voice, "Zero Freeze!" The soulless eyes lit up and unleashed an icy blue beam that froze the man with the chair leg completely still, encased in ice. At that point people began to run and scream. With no warning, the demonic monster flew towards Taran like an arrow. "Razor Wing." Its wings lit up bright red, like the colour of blood.

Taran ran forwards, screaming in fear. Fumbling, he tried to reach into his bag to pull out the buttons he had put into it but there was no time. "Help! Someone help!" His Digivice buzzed in his pocket as he dived to the ground. Turning back, he saw that the house had just been in was now unrecognizable; it had been decimated by the beast in an instant. Pulling the Digivice out of his front pocket, he held it up and the strange object relayed information to him like a computer.

 _[In]IceDevimon, Champion level, Virus, Nightmare Soldiers._

 _His Icy Shower is one you don't want to get caught in for sure!_

So, it was a Digimon. IceDevimon flew back into the air and its long arm extended towards Taran, the claw glistening white. "Frost Claw!"

"Taran!" Pumon knocked him out the way.

"Pumon!" Taran watched the little green ball fly across the dirt and crash into a house. "No! We have to run!"

"I'll fight. You get safe!" Pumon yelled, bouncing back out of the broken timber and knickknacks. "Dazzle!" The feather on its head began to glow white hot and then Pumon opened its mouth to unleash a beam of rainbow coloured energy. It struck IceDevimon square in the chest, exploding and clouding IceDevimon in smoke, but as soon as the small cloud of smoke cleared, IceDevimon was still flying and completely unscathed. "Quick, Taran!"

IceDevimon glanced at Taran and then flew at Pumon. "Razor Wing!"

Taran felt tears prick his eyes and his throat felt like it was closed. Sliding his hand back into the backpack, he withdrew one of the buttons and pressed it down firmly. But when no one came, fear took control. He would have to save himself. Taran began to run, clenching the button tightly in his hand in the hope someone would come to help. A cry for help came from behind. Taran stopped, balled up his fasts and turned back to see Alrik's mother trapped under some rubble. Rushing over, the thought of running leaving his mind quickly, Taran tossed the button into his backpack; it obviously had stopped working.

This woman was nice to him until she found out she was English and she had raised Alrik, who was also nice to him; she was a nice person regardless of what she thought of him. He grabbed hold off the wood and tugged but it wouldn't budge.

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes but not a word left her grimacing mouth.

Taran pushed hard and felt the cuboid beam of wood shift slightly. And then he felt another pair of hands slip over his and saw Alrik on the other side.

He nodded at Taran. "Go." He screamed as he pulled hard and Taran quickly snapped into action, digging his toes into the dirt and pushing. His chest and arms hurt really bad but it was moving! Abruptly, the beam slipped off Alrik's mother and fell into the rest of the rubble. Taran fell to the floor, having lost his footing and panted heavily, his arms still throbbing from the strain as he looked at the dust swirling around on the ground.

He looked up, pushing himself back onto his knees and dusting his pyjamas with a pat of his hands.

"Mutti! Du bist okay!" Alrik rushed over, hugging his mum tightly and then they both looked at him. He could see the anger in Alrik's mother's eyes but it had changed. Her face, and his, had softened. It made him feel warm inside.

Pumon yelled loudly in pain and Taran snapped his head around to look.

IceDevimon was pinning the small Digimon to ground with his claw.

Little specks of data swirled off Pumon as he groaned in pain. "Taran, run! Now!"

Taran froze briefly but then ran towards Pumon. He wasn't sure why. He couldn't quite explain it if someone asked him but something compelled him towards Pumon. Not only was that Digimon his friend, but it felt like he had known him his whole life and he wouldn't give that up. Not like this. Not for anyone.

IceDevimon's arm extended rapidly towards Taran like a charging snake. It hit his body with the force of a moving train and thrust him into the ground in one swift movement. Spittle flew from his mouth and he felt himself become winded and struggle to breathe in the time it took for his brain to work out what was going on. The force of the claw on his body, constricting tightly and cutting into him, was coupled with the back-breaking force of the body slam he had just endured to leave him stunned. The pain he had been feeling before was nothing compared to this.

"Taran!" Pumon yelled. "Get off him!"

IceDevimon's claw glistened white atop Pumon and the latter began to cry out in pain.

Pumon screamed, clearly in pain, "I told you to run!"

His head foggy, Taran looked over at his partner, his friend. "I didn't want to." The claws squished harder and he groaned loudly. "I didn't want to imagine a world without you." He looked over at Pumon but the little Digimon was now glowing brightly and then energy erupted all around him, forming a sphere. "Pumon, are you okay?" Taran panicked. Was IceDevimon finishing him off? At his waist, he felt the Digivice shaking about.

IceDevimon retracted its claw from Pumon's orb and then its wings began to frost over. "Icy Shower!"

The orb burst open and a very different Digimon emerged. It looked like a little green squirrel, with some strange mutations. The tail was a long multi-coloured feather plumage and the ears were rounded off but the eyes were exactly the same. Was this Pumon? "Leaf Kunai!" The little Digimon leapt into the air as icicles flew from IceDevimon's wings and threw several sharpened leaves at IceDevimon's other claw, the one pinning Taran down. They dug in, sending spirals of data free from the claw and the little green Digimon landed, summoning another handful of them and tossing them at IceDevimon's face while dodging the icicles that hit the ground.

IceDevimon winced in pain and flew up into the sky as the attack hit. "Zero Freeze!" The beam of freezing energy erupted from its eyes but Pumon was quick to dart away. The size difference between the two was astonishing. Pumon was barely bigger than he was before but IceDevimon easily towered over the houses.

Taran's Digivice buzzed again and he slowly withdrew it, sitting up despite the crushing pain in his chest remaining.

 _Punymon, Champion level, Vaccine, Nature Spirits_

 _He may be small but his Rainbow Sparkle isn't just for show._

Was that his name now? Punymon? It didn't sound very strong. And he was only little. IceDevimon was probably going to kill him. As soon as he gathered himself, he called out, "Punymon, quick, let's go!"

Punymon turned to look but in that instant IceDevimon crashed an icy claw into the moss green Digimon, sending him rocketing through the village.

"Razor Wing!" He flew at Punymon, his wings glowing red once more.

Punymon leapt up and turned around, smacking his bum and turning to stick his tongue out. "Rainbow Sparkle!" The multi-coloured feather tail began to spin faster and faster. Punymon dug his little hands into the ground as a portal opened behind him. The yellow rim of the portal was the only light; the inside of the portal was the darkest dark Taran could imagine. It was terrifying, really.

IceDevimon paused, the red energy dissipating from its wings as it seemed to wonder what to do next.

"Eat this!" Punymon yelled and from the black portal erupted an oversized beam of multi-coloured ethereal energy. It engulfed IceDevimon in an instant, obliterating the Digimon and continuing up into the sky until it eventually faded and Punymon's portal followed soon after.

Taran looked at Punymon, stunned, as an egg fell from the sky between them, where IceDevimon had previously been.

Punymon charged towards the egg, his eyes lighting up red as leaves appeared in between his fingers. He seemed ravenous and wild, not at all like Pumon was normally. The green Digimon threw the leaves at it, smashing apart the egg and leaving just a cracked shell on the ground. The shell abruptly lost its white and blue swirled appearance and became plain and translucent, like a giant chicken egg. And then Punymon collapsed to the ground, data flying off his body.

Taran leapt up but felt a sharp stabbing pain in his chest as he did so. Nevertheless, he rushed towards Punymon, grimacing all the while. As he reached the Digimon, he noticed that it had turned back into Pumon. "Pumon!" he exclaimed, dropping to his knees and bringing the little green ball into his chest despite the pain it elicited feeling like he was being hit by IceDevimon all over again.

"Did I do good?" Pumon's voice was raspy and tired.

"Yes, you did very good!" Taran snuggled his partner, smiling warmly.

"Tomas?"

Taran turned around to see Alrik and his mother. "My name's Taran, not Tomas, silly!"

"Taran?" She nodded. "Danke, Taran." His mother smiled briefly. "Englische not all bad."

"Taran, you must go. Everyone blame you for what happened." Alrik pointed behind Taran, out of the village. "Walk for twenty minutes and you find a path. Walk down path towards Emden. Boat will be called Fähre. Will take you back."

Taran nodded and stood up. "Thank you."

"We say: Danke." Alrik nodded. "Now you."

Taran smiled. "Danke, Alrik."

"Wait!" Alrik's mother came over and knelt down. "Not tied. No good." She pulled out Taran's laces from his shoes and tied them tightly. "Now, go." She stood back up, placing her arm around Alrik.

Taran nodded and turned away, walking away from the village. He had no idea what it was called but he would definitely come back some day and see Alrik. Maybe they could play together next time in the fields. He smiled; he would make sure they played together in the fields.

He headed up the steep hill away from the village and towards the path that would lead him to Emden but decided to glance back. The sun was a little lower in the sky now but it still looked so picturesque. Looking at it just made him further realise just how much he missed Acquina.

A blue portal appeared, like it had with IceDevimon and this time several monsters erupted. Taran's Digivice buzzed for each of the five Digimon, who quickly began to wreak havoc.

 _[In]Majiramon, Ultimate level, Data, Wind Guardians, Dragon's Roar._

 _This Exalted Beast Digimon can bury a horde of opponents instantly using its Flaming Arrowhead attack._

 _[In]Kuwagamon, Champion level, Virus, Nature Spirits, Wind Guardians._

 _This ruthless Digimon will cut you up with its Scissor Arms attack!_

 _[In]Minotarumon, Ultimate level, Virus, Unknown, Nightmare Soldiers, Nature Spirits._

 _With its Demon Arm it can shake things up using Earthquake Drill._

As if on cue, Majiramon, a green dragon, disappeared into a swirl of light in the sky while Kuwagamon, a big scary red bug, tore apart the houses. Minotarumon, who looked like a minotaur from the stories his mum and dad would tell him, bashed people about with its big metal arm and then Majiramon's fire arrows descended, decimating the village.

 _[In]Gwappamon, Champion level, Data, Deep Savers._

 _This Gwappa Rapper is no fake!_

 _[In]Phantomon, Ultimate level, Virus, Nightmare Soldiers_

 _This evil Digimon's Soul Chopper will send you on a fast-track to despair!_

"Diabolic Star!" Phantomon, who looked like a grim reaper, swung the chain on the end of its sickle, bashing apart the townspeople with the dark energy ball.

"DJ Shooter!" Discs fired out from Gwappamon's head, blowing holes into the ground. That frog certainly wasn't very nice.

In shock, Taran stared, unable to move a muscle as he watched the destruction unfold.

No, that wasn't right. It wasn't what Aleena would do. "I have to do something!" Taran exclaimed, running back down the hill as he saw the flames spread and Alrik and his mother disappear from view.

"That won't help anyone, least of all you." Matt?

Taran spun to see the blond-haired man behind him with Hououmon also flying above and watching the village. "Please, you can help, right? Let's go! We can't just let that happen!"

Matt sighed and looked at Hououmon. "Look, Taran—"

"No! I won't watch people get hurt!" His Digivice began to shine brightly, burning up on the inside of his pocket.

"This portal is unstable and RODAF will be here soon." Matt grabbed his wrist. "I'm sorry but sticking around isn't an option. We're going to take a shortcut back to England; there's some things that need our attention." His eyes flickered blue, different to their natural blue. It seemed to cover his whole eye, not just the iris, for a moment, and then they were sucked away elsewhere while the Digimon continued to rampage.

* * *

 **Punymon is released and Matt finally decides it's time to take Taran under his wing. What's with all the portals opening up lately and all the angry Digimon? And why did they seem to be targetting Taran. All will be revealed.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**

 **So, I'm finally back in a writer's seat (at least for the time being). A lot has happened over the previous year but not once did I ever consider walking away from DSR. The story has been written up to chapter 60 and there are plans for chapters after that all the way up until the conclusion. I really want to finish this story but as I get older I get less free time and I'm too close to this story to give it to someone else. So, if you are still following then please bare with me.**


	37. Chapter 36: Ghosts of the Past

The intense heat bore through his body immediately like needles made of fire. Taran looked up and saw a powerful sun beating down on him from above, looking even bigger than usual, and then felt sand swirl into his face. He wrinkled his nose. This place was nasty. Where even were they? They had just been somewhere grassy and now this was a desert. What was going on? Was this man magic? Could he pull a rabbit out of his hat? Taran looked up at Matt, feeling a foreboding presence emanating from him.

"I bet you're wondering what happened." Matt unzipped his black jacket. "Whew, it's warm." He fanned his hand against his face and wiped his forearm against his brow. "We should get out of this heat soon."

Taran looked over at Matt and pouted. He had let all this people get hurt. They could have saved them and yet they did nothing! He tore his arm free from Matt's grasp and then crossed his arms across his chest firmly. He was so angry that Matt made them leave all those poor people in the fire.

"And now you're thinking we could have saved those people." Matt looked at Hououmon and nodded. "Well—"

"Don't be too harsh on him." The bird Digimon glanced at Taran and then flew off in a swirl of wind that was very welcome in the imposing heat.

"Like I'm ever harsh," Matt grumbled.

Matt watched Hououmon go, protecting his eyes from the sun with his hand and then looked back at Taran and shrugged. "We couldn't have." He sighed. "Hououmon may look strong but she isn't the fighter she once was. We were outmatched." Thrusting his hands into his black jeans, he whistled. "Just how it goes sometimes."  
"We could have done _something_!" Taran exclaimed, stamping his foot. Why wouldn't Matt listen to him? Why did no one ever want to listen?

Matt rolled his eyes. "Just like Tai," he muttered, half smirking.

It was infuriating to be looked down on like this! Taran furrowed his brow firmly to affirm his anger to Matt.

Matt's voice was gentle, sympathetic even. "Look down at Pumon and tell me what we could have done with him in that state."

Taran looked down at Pumon. He felt awful for putting the little Digimon in that state but there was no other choice, was there? And Pumon would want to help too! "But—!"

Matt pointed at Taran accusingly. "And your ribs are bruised. Sticking around there was a bad idea for both of you."

Gingerly, Taran touched his chest and winced. He was right, they were sore but Matt was fine. Hououmon was fine. They could have done something! "But that's not fair!"

Matt nodded. "No one knows unfairness better than me, buddy. Trust me." He pointed at Taran's Digivice. "It's flashing."

Taran looked down slowly, trying not to allow himself to be distracted by any adult tricks.

 _Withdraw Digimon into Digivice? Yes or No?_

It would help Pumon like last time so he had to. He tapped yes and Pumon was sucked into the Digivice in a flash of blue light. Thrusting the Digivice back into his pocket after checking Pumon was safely inside, he glared at Matt.

"We didn't have that back when I was around." Matt chuckled. "Would've been useful a couple of times."

Taran pinched his cheek. Nope, he was awake. "What do you mean when you were around?" As far as he could tell, Matt was still around. Taran looked at him and tentatively reached towards him. Was he dead? Was he a ghost? That was really spooky.

Matt looked down, smirking that annoying smirk.

Taran looked at him cautiously and then prodded Matt. "See, you're solid like I thought. That means you're real." Taran crossed his arms triumphantly and a gust of sand blew in between them. In his stubbornness, Taran ignored it blowing into his face but ended up spluttering and trying to scrap it off his tongue.

Matt pulled at his black jacket. "So I am." He smirked. "But it's not that simple—"

"Why don't we have this conversation somewhere else?" It was someone else. A woman?

The pink haired woman walked towards them, flicking her head back and allowing the wind to blow her curly shoulder length locks behind her like a cape. She winked, the bright sun making it hard to look at her. "Well, hi there! You must be Taran!" Her brown eyes washed over him with warmth. "I'm Mimi. Tachikawa Mimi." She was stunningly beautiful and yet motherly too. "Why don't you say hello now?"

Her smile was so welcoming that Taran couldn't help himself; he ran over and wrapped his arms around her tightly, sobbing into her burgundy jumper. Anything was better than Matt and it had been so long since any nice women had been near him.

"Oh." She patted his head comfortingly, rubbing it gently. It reminded him of home. Of when he would be sick and his mum would look after him; of biscuits and flat cola. "It's okay, it's okay."

Taran looked up at her, his face smeared with tears and snot. "I was so scared." He stepped back, wiping his face with his sleeve. He had realised how weird this was for him to do. It was really rude, actually. "I— I'm sorry." He had latched onto her for no reason. And she was a stranger, no less! His mum and dad had warned him so much about stranger danger and he was here surrounded by strangers constantly.

She knelt to his height, smiling. "I bet you were super scared all alone. And yet you were such a big boy. I'm real proud of you." Mimi wrapped her arms around him, patting his back, which elicited sharp pain. "It's okay now because we're here and we will look after you."

Taran snuggled into her hug, trying to ignore the pain that came from him being touched. Something about her reminded him so much of his mum. Even the tone she used was motherly.

Mimi stood back up. "It's so hot!" She exclaimed, pulling off her jumper and tying it around her waist. Underneath it was a loose knee-length pink dress and a gold locket that hung around her slender neck. Mimi stretched her arms and then turned to look at Matt. "Couldn't you have chosen somewhere less hot? Or we could even go to a mall or something—somewhere enjoyable!"

Matt shrugged. "I guess."

Rolling her eyes, Mimi asked, "Is Hououmon not back yet?"

Matt looked towards where Hououmon had flown. "Maybe something happened."

Mimi walked over and punched him in the arm. "Don't joke like that." She looked back at Taran. "How about Matt gives you a piggy back and we head somewhere safe? Does that sound like fun?"

Taran chewed his sleeve and then nodded.

"You shouldn't chew that." Mimi tutted. "Well, Matt?"

Matt rolled his eyes and turned around, crouching down. "Hop on."

As Taran stepped towards Matt, he felt his vision swim, becoming blurred, then normal, then blurred once more before it turned black.

Waking up slowly, Taran felt stinging pain on his chest and back and felt cooler, much cooler. His head lolled onto the hard surface in front of him; he listened to the sounds around him, too weak to move. The soft swirling of the sand as the breeze passed over them, and then… talking?

"Are you sure about this, Matt?"

"What other choice do we have? We have to do _something_." Matt spat.  
"I know that, Matt. Don't you think I know that? I have always been there with you. But, maybe sometimes Tai was right. Maybe sometimes there was another option but to fight?"

Taran lazily opened one eye and saw Mimi walking along and then realised someone was carrying him. Wind tickled his legs and he realised he was now wearing shorts; the same breeze flapped the t-shirt on his back about, keeping him cool.

"There's no time for that!" Matt snapped. "If we don't do something soon then both worlds will be destroyed." As Matt spoke, Taran felt the vibrations from the surface in front of him and realised he was being carried and the change in clothing meant they had changed his clothes. Had they seen him naked!?

"I know that!" Mimi looked down and then grumbled under her breath. She glanced back up at Matt. "Of course I know that. Don't treat me like some ditzy blonde American!"

"You know I would never… Mimi, you _know_ that this kid is the only one who can save us; save everyone." Matt sighed deeply, the deep breath louder in the ear Taran rested against Matt's back. "And until we can find Gennai, I don't see another solution."

"That's true…" Mimi fiddled with the hem of her dress. "But what if he's not strong enough?" She looked at Matt, her eyes shaking. "What if he dies like the rest?"

Taran gasped. Were they on about him?  
"Oh, Taran, you're awake!" Mimi exclaimed, smiling and wiping her eyes. "And just in time, we're here."

They slowed to a stop as they reached various little mud huts; with thatched roofs and holes for windows, they looked like something out of a history book. Atop the tallest building stood Hououmon, perched carefully on a wooden symbol of a bird that protruded from the centre of the roof.

Across from her was a new Digimon. Would she attack them? Taran quickly withdrew his Digivice but Matt spoke before the Digivice could.

Matt exhaled tiredly. "You had us worried!"

 _Rosemon, Mega level, Data, Wind Guardians, Nightmare Soldiers, Jungle Troopers._

 _Her Forbidden Temptation can make even those with strong will fall before her._

"It's just you, Rosemon." Matt crouched down, allowing Taran to climb off. "Long time no see."

"Rosemon!" Mimi exclaimed, holding out her arms.

The Digimon in question looked like a flower woman. Her head was made of a large rose except for the area around her red lips. A green floral cape adorned her slender frame, which was clad in a revealing red one-piece. Black boots encased her long legs and vines snaked over her body, culminating in trailing ends which she held tightly in her fists. "Mimi!" The Digimon flew over quickly and wrapped her arms around Mimi, lifting her into the air and spinning around. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am!" Mimi laughed, hugging the Digimon back. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Matt gestured towards the two with his thumb. "They're partners, like you and Pumon."

"Why haven't they been together, then?" Taran asked. Withdrawing the Digivice from the pocket of his shorts, he looked down at it. Despite the brevity of their time together, Taran felt a connection closer than with any of his other friends with Pumon. "I don't ever want to be apart from Pumon."

Matt smirked. "When you get older, friendships can get more distant but retain their strength. Rosemon had an important mission and had to be away for a while, but me and Hououmon kept Mimi company in the meantime." Matt glanced around and murmured, "Seems the Digimon from this village aren't here."

Taran nibbled on one of the long green sleeves of the top he had on. It had a white chest piece, which had BunBoy emblazoned on, but was much thinner than his BunBoy pyjamas and welcome in this heat. "Is Hououmon your partner?" Taran looked up at the bird Digimon. "She's super nice."

Matt chuckled. "She is nice." He withdrew the little silver Digivice from before and looked down at it. "No, Hououmon isn't my partner. My Digivice hasn't been active in a long while, I'm afraid, Taran." He held up the fizzing screen of his Digivice, covered with scratches and muck. Standing up, he sighed. "But it's okay. Because Hououmon's partner is gone too. So, we keep each other company."

Taran felt himself well up. This was so sad. "Where have they all gone? Will they come back?"

"I'm not sure." Matt said. He slipped the Digivice back into his pocket. "Probably not."

Taran began to sob. This was really scary and not fair! Why did this have to happen?

Matt looked down. "Don't cry!" He knelt on one knee and grumbled, "Tai was always better at crap like this. Heck, even Joe was better."

Taran gasped. He had said a swear. Sniffling, he exclaimed, "You shouldn't say that!"

Matt mumbled under his breath. "Mimi, a little help?"

Mimi was placed back down by Rosemon and gestured towards the largest house. "Let's talk in here. Rosemon and Hououmon can keep watch." She walked inside and Rosemon stood next to the open doorway.

Matt got up and walked over. "Come on, we can explain everything and then we can take you home."

Everyone kept promising to take him home but no one ever did. Why did everyone keep lying to him? Taran folded his arms and stamped his foot. "No."

Matt turned back and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "No?"

Taran nodded firmly. "No."

Matt sighed and ran his fingers through his blond locks. "So, what... You're just going to stand there forever?"

Taran realised the flaw in his plan but was too stubborn to admit it. "Maybe."

"As stubborn as Davis," he grumbled and then Matt shrugged. "Fine. Then we'll all just leave you here." Matt placed a hand next to his mouth and called, "Hououmon, Rosemon, Mimi, we're leaving. Taran is staying here."

Mimi poked her head out. "What?"

"You heard me. Let's go. He can stay here and get eaten by Yokomon when it gets dark." Matt threw his hands nonchalantly behind his head, interlocking his fingers, and walked away.

Mimi rolled her eyes and stepped back inside. "Whatever, but we have to get going soon."

Taran loosened his arms slightly. "Eaten?" He didn't want to get eaten.

Matt turned back and flashed a mischievous grin. "They're huge scary beasts that come out when it gets dark and feed on any naughty children they can find."

Taran shook his head. He wouldn't fall for this! "You're just fibbing!"

Matt threw his hands up. "Well, we'll see. It should be dark in a few hours so you'll find out soon. But, we'll be long gone by then so no one will hear you scream."

Taran bit his lip and felt the fear creep up on him. What if this was real? Would they just come and kill him? Away from home? Away from his family? No one would ever know. Opening his mouth, he began to sob loudly. He didn't want to die like that!

"No, wait. I was just lying!" Matt grabbed onto Taran's arms. "Stop crying!"

"Matt, what did you do?" Mimi walked out of the house.

"I just joked and said Yokomon would eat him." Matt shook Taran. "I was joking, stop crying!"

The pleading from Matt was no comfort to Taran. They were going to eat him and no one would save him!

"Matt!" Mimi rushed over and wrapped her arms around Taran while simultaneously pushing Matt away. "Taran, he was just lying. Yokomon are cute little pink Digimon that are so lovely and friendly. They actually live in this village! The only unfriendly thing around here is Matt." She picked him up in her tight grip and then set him back down, holding out her hand. "Now, stop being silly and let's talk things through."

Taran sniffed, his eyes sore from the crying as he looked at her. She seemed sincere. He nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "Fine." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and then gripped her hand. Matt was so mean!

"Ooh this is so cute!" Mimi exclaimed, pointing at the BunBoy emblem on his chest. "I _have_ to know where I can get one in my size. Preferably in pink too." She winked.

"You can get BunBoy stuff everywhere! Mum always takes me and buys me lots and lots!" Taran exclaimed. He loved BunBoy. It was his favourite character!

"Well, maybe you can take me after we get you home," Mimi chimed.

"He reminds me of Ryoko," Matt mused.

Mimi glanced back at Matt and then set Taran down inside the house. In hushed tones, she hissed, "Matt, it's been a long day. Please don't bring up my dead son."

Dead? Her son was dead? Taran wasn't sure how to feel. Was that why he was here? A million questions flooded through his mind as he stared ahead blankly at the sun-baked mud wall ahead.

Mimi looked back at Taran. "Sit down and we'll talk." She said, smiling.

Right now, that was the last thing Taran wanted to do. Everything was just so confusing at every turn! He spun to look at them, frowning. He wanted someone to just tell him what exactly was going on! Ever since that night when Aleena came no one had ever truly even told him what all of this was. Why him?

Matt waltzed in slowly and slumped down onto the raised mound of mud that ran around the edge of the circular hut. Straight ahead of him, on the right of the hut was a small television that was fizzing with static.

Taran slowly took a seat a little away from Matt, facing the exit. If he had to run at least he could run straight out the door this way. However, for now, he wanted some answers and they were the only people who could give him them.

Mimi sat down next to Matt and the two of them looked at him. "I guess we just start from the start, right? Unless there's anything specific you want to know."

Taran looked down at his muddy white trainers and thought long and hard. Honestly, he had been through so much right now there wasn't just one thing he wanted to know. He felt like everyone was hiding everything from him and no one ever thought about how that made him feel. Well, it made him feel really crummy. He clenched his hands on the edge of the seat and frowned. "Why me? I'm not special. I'm just… Just Taran."

Mimi smiled and then looked at Matt and then back at Taran, a little shocked. "Well…"

"Taran, remember I said you were special. With two crests?" Matt looked at Mimi and nodded.

Taran nodded slowly. "Yeah." What were they getting at? That just meant he got to have some extra stuff but he would give them away if it meant he and Pumon would be okay.

"That isn't the first time that's happened. Two crests I mean."  
Taran frowned. So, this wasn't even special? Were they just tricking him and making him think he was special? "So, why—?"

Matt held up a hand. "Let me finish." He sighed. "As I was saying. It's not the first time, but, with you, something very different happened." Matt seemed to stiffen up. "The crests of light and hope are special themselves. And to have both…" He clenched his fists tightly.

Mimi rested her hand gently on his fist, rubbing it. "They never thought it would happen. Or need to happen."

Taran nodded slowly. So, he was chosen or something? Like in all the stories? "Why did it need to happen?"

Mimi smiled weakly. "A long time ago, before Matt or I were born, there were a group of five who sealed away a great evil behind a wall of fire." She leant back, resting against the curved wall of the hut. "Put simply: that wall is failing and what they sealed is coming out. We've done our best to stop this and we succeeded."

"So, what's wrong?" Taran blurted. This all sounded very scary. He chewed his sleeve nervously. "Will it get us?" This was like a scary midnight horror movie.

Mimi sighed exhaustedly. "Don't interrupt, it's rude." She sounded just like his mum! His mum would probably agree with Mimi, too. "There are people out there who want to undo what we've done and they're very good. It's only a matter of time before they beat us… and when they do." She looked at Matt and nodded.

"When they do, the crests of hope and light are the only thing that can stop it. That's the prophecy." Prophecy? This all sounded crazy! Like a story, and not even a good one!

Taran chewed on his sleeve. "I have to do all this alone?"

Mimi slid closer to him, pulling it out of his mouth. "Anyone who touches the beast is placed under the effects of a curse. Even indirect touching like Digimon attacks curse both Digimon and partner. That curse places a timer on a person's life of just an hour. Anyone who helps you _will_ die."

Taran retreated inside his head as his body wouldn't respond. So, did this mean that he was going to die too? He felt his head swim like his brain was a whirlpool. He was only 8; he couldn't die now. He hadn't even hit double digits yet.

Mimi touched his hand and it snapped him free of his trance. "We're not sure how it reacts to the crests of hope and light so you may be safe but none of your friends or family will be able to be with you. You and Pumon will fight alone when the time comes." She rubbed his hand. "I'm so sorry."

Taran nodded slowly. But he didn't have to do this, right? They had already fixed the problem so he could just keep living. "What if I don't want to do this? What if I just go home?"

Matt grabbed his Digivice and squeezed it. "We'll do all we can to help you when the time comes. Even if it means we die." So, it was coming no matter what? How long did he have? He didn't want to think about dying now.

Taran stood up, stepping back from them. "B— but…" He had to get away. Away from here. Anywhere but here. "I…" He staggered backwards, thoughts racing through his head until he tripped and fell, hitting the ground hard and blacking out instantly.

~.~.~

He felt his head clearing up and could hear people talking.

"Maybe we can do it without him, Matt. It's so much for him to bear."

"No. If we don't get rid of this thing then everyone's lives will have been for nothing. Tai, Sora, Kari." The man choked up on a fourth name, unable to continue. Taran recognised those names from somewhere. "All of their lives will mean nothing! _Homeostasis chose him for a reason_. The crest of light isn't just given out to _anyone_ ," the male voice hissed angrily.

Taran opened his eyes, looking up to see Matt and Mimi stood over him.

Matt clenched his fist. "And I can't let that happen. Would you want—?" Matt paused.

"Go on, Matt. Say it. Would I want Ryoko's death to go to waste?" Mimi shook her head. "Of course not!" She shook her head, tearing up. "But do I want this boy's life to go to waste? Do _you_?"

Taran groaned, trying to make them aware he was awake. He didn't want to listen to them fighting anymore.

"Taran!" Mimi exclaimed, kneeling down. "You're up."

Matt crouched down on his other side. "Let's sit you up." He lifted Taran up and propped him against the mound of mud, sitting opposite with Mimi. "Now, take your time. Don't rush or move too quickly. We forgot to mention that when IceDevimon attacked you he cut into your sides pretty badly. We bandaged you up but you'll have to move slowly for the time being." The two sat either side of the door, through which Taran could see the sun going down and the heat was definitely dissipating.

Taran lifted his top and saw bandages all underneath, tightly wrapped around him. They made it a little hard to breathe too. Leaning back, he felt his head sting and snapped forwards, trying to focus. He was still too groggy to talk.

"You hit your head pretty hard too, so be careful with it," Mimi added, reaching forwards almost instinctively and then retracting her hand.

"I just realised we didn't explain everything else. We got so caught up in all that business that we forgot." Matt glanced at Mimi. "I bet you want to know how we got here so quickly and how we plan to go to Britain quick too?"

Taran nodded slowly. It had to do with his blue eyes, that was Taran's best guess.

"Well, there's a reason me and Mimi look so good considering we're nearly six-hundred years old. We're made of data."

Taran felt his jaw visibly drop. But they were people, not programs. Weren't they?

Mimi's eyes traced over Taran for a second before she looked at Matt with an exasperated look and Taran realised how dumfounded his expression had been.

"I'm sorry. I don't get it." Taran reached to chew on his sleeve but stopped as he saw Mimi's brown eyes rested firmly on him.

Mimi nodded. "I didn't think so." She gave Matt a side-eye before continuing. "Right now, everything here is digital and things in the real world aren't. Digimon straddle that boundary when they go to the real world because they're still digital but real world rules apply. The same goes for me and Matt. Well, to an extent. Our lives in the real world are even more limited and transient."

"But…" Taran couldn't understand. They were human, right?

"Before things turned completely sour and the Kamiya War happened, both Matt and myself decided we would want to live on for some time longer. We spoke to Gennai and he made it possible for us to live indefinitely; for infinity. He transformed us into data-based lifeforms by killing our real forms and simultaneously uploading our _data_ to the digital world." Mimi threw her hands up. "I'm not really a science person. Izzy would know better." She gripped her locket, looking down and pausing. When she looked back up, her eyes had softened. "But us, right now. We're not real. We died a long time ago… and so did everyone we knew."

Matt touched Mimi's arm, albeit a little hesitantly and rubbed it. He looked back at Taran with his blue eyes now lighting up with excitement. "The only way I was ever going to be able to visit Mars was if I ensured my body could be more robust and able to stand the test of time and the different forces in space."  
"You've been to Mars!" Taran exclaimed. "So, you're an astronaut! That's so cool!"

Matt laughed. "I guess."  
"You'll give him a big head if you're not careful," Mimi warned, laughing. "As for me, I had some more personal reasons."

"She just didn't want to get old," Matt whispered, although it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Shut up!" Mimi shouted. "Anyway, this change wasn't all it was built up to be. In order for us to maintain a form that isn't quite our own, we have to consume data relevant to our real-world selves."

Matt nodded. "This was easy at first. There was lots about us dying and things we did in the past but now we have to use tenuous links with RODAF and other Digimon-related bodies to keep ourselves from becoming corrupted."

"Tenyoous?" Taran asked.

"Weak links," Mimi said, smiling. "However, with these bodies we can hop in and out of the Digital World more freely. Kind of like the Digiportal function on your Digivice but more exact. While in the real world, though, our bodies began to degrade rapidly due to their instability. So, we can't even live our lives in our own world for more than a few hours without breaking down and being lost into oblivion."

Taran found this a lot to take in again. Everything they said sounded so scary. Was this really better than not knowing anything? He wasn't sure. "Wait!" He remembered something he wanted to ask. Back in Alrik's town it was really weird when Alrik and Pumon could talk easily. "Why can Digimon talk to people who aren't English?"

Matt and Mimi began to laugh.

Taran frowned. That was mean. They were picking on him. "Hey! Stop laughing."

Mimi took a deep breath in. "I'm sorry, it's just, we're Japanese and our Digimon never had a problem speaking to us." He had noticed they looked a bit different to anyone he had ever seen before but he just thought maybe people looked different in different cities.

"But I can understand you." Taran frowned. "So, can I speak Japanese?"

Mimi shook her head. "Not quite, sweetie. Matt and I learned pretty much every language in our five-hundred-year break. But, Digimon and anyone in the Digital World all become plurilingual while they're here."

"What's—?"

"It means speak more than one language," Matt said. "It's not exactly accurate. It's more like live translation which is heard differently by everyone present. Digimon have this live translation even in the real world."

Taran was trying to understand but it was hard. He was going to have to move on. "What about Punymon?"

Matt nodded. "Digivolving?"

Mimi looked at the sky. "We best get moving, Matt." She stood up, brushing herself down and grumbled about the mud. "Let's go, Taran." Her eyes flashed blue and the TV screen lit up bright blue. "Let's jump there first and keep jumping till we get back to the British Digital World." She stepped towards the TV and was sucked in.

Matt's eyes were also glowing blue as he picked up Taran. Rosemon stepped inside and was sucked through the TV and then Hououmon poked her head through the roof, also being sucked in.

Taran could feel the TV pulling at him but Matt's steadfast grip was keeping them firm on the ground.

"Taran, I want you to know we'll do everything we can to keep you from harm." Matt nodded and then they flew into the TV.

* * *

 **As promised, a more polished version of the story. Would appreciate any feedback on characterisation, grammar, plot or anything as I feel like I'm getting wobbly from this chapter onwards even with my OCs so critiques are appreciated.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	38. Chapter 37: Pyrrhic Victory

With a flash, they appeared in Gimi's house, being almost thrown out of the hurried Digiportal.

Leomon landed on a sofa with a loud thud and groan as the crimson sofa struggled under his cumbersome frame.

"We've never ported this perfectly," Tyler muttered, looking around. He noted that they had the extra Digivice of Rori's, however Aleena's hadn't helped too much previously so there had to be another factor at play.

"Digital Anchor." Gimi got up from a green chair across from them. His kimono was navy blue in colour today. "Like a homing beacon for you to catch on to." Gimi turned his head towards the raucous yelling and banging going on outside and frowned. "I'm relieved it worked."

Tyler looked over too and noticed that the doors and windows were boarded up. It was lucky that they hadn't appeared outside by the looks of things.  
"Many thanks for the help." Gimi lifted Leomon up in his arms as if he were no more than a child and walked over to the door. That old man was abnormally strong for his short stature.

"Silence!" he roared with such ferocity that it imbued Tyler with a little fear. Not a single sound was heard anywhere; even Alex and Zalyea kept silent. This was a side of Gimi they didn't see too often. "Leomon has been freed thanks to the Digidestined. How do you repay them? You act like idiots! No soup for any of you!" And the quirky idiot was back.

Tyler could hear grumbling and then soft footsteps as the Digimon, presumably, left.

Gimi turned back to them, closing the door. "Go to the bedroom and rest. I can't imagine you all have much strength left."

Tyler placed Aleena's bag down and turned back to Gimi. "We need to talk."

The others turned back wearily, looking at him. None of them could bare to move much longer, with Alex carrying Corinne with Zalyea's help.

"Later, later." Gimi turned into cubes of data and vanished with Leomon, neither of them leaving a trace.

Tyler cursed under his breath that Gimi had avoided him but sighed and followed the others through to the bedroom where eight neat pale blue beds were waiting for them.

As Tyler got into bed and closed his eyes he heard a gentle sobbing but not one of them said a word, all feeling the same about what they knew to be true. About what they had faced there. These demons would surely haunt them all for a long time.

~.~.~

Tyler woke up, slightly startled, to see a strange face right in front of his. He tried to panic but everywhere was too sore to allow him much movement.

"I said my Digi-Beauty soup would do the trick." The Digimon, with grey hair proclaimed. "Now onto the oversized cat." She walked across the wooden boards to Talmon and Tyler lifted his head up, being all he could do, and saw Alex stirring slightly but no one else was making a sound.

The strange Digimon dipped a silver ladle into a deep vat in the middle of the room and withdrew it, green liquid spilling from the utensil as she carried it back over to Talmon. Carefully, but liberally, she poured it over Talmon's exposed body. At this point, Tyler realised how sticky he was. He was also stripped to nothing but his boxers but was too exhausted to do anything about it. Presumably, this thing was a she by its voice but Digimon didn't strictly have genders unless they said so themselves. Gender could even vary within the same species. The Digimon walked over to Leomon and stuck her tongue into his mouth. "Baba Milk!" White liquid slipped from their lips, trickling down Leomon's face. She then leant back and swung her broom about. "How dare you not respond to my healing!" Tyler really hoped she hadn't done that to him.

"Please do not hit me, Babamon." Leomon coughed and sat up.

"To be expected." Babamon thudded her broom against the wooden flooring. "I am great, after all."

She stepped back and allowed Leomon to stand up. "Now, get back to work, you lazy freeloader!" She hit him repeatedly with the broom until he ambled out of the room and then she turned back to Tyler. "Did I say you could stop resting? No!" Waving her broom at him, she ordered, "Go back to sleep!"

Tyler leant back and closed his eyes, afraid of being hit, and heard her talk.

"Five spiral fractures of the ankle bone, bruised skull, compressed lumbar vertebrae, bruised scapula, internal and external bruising and numerous skin lacerations." Babamon sighed. "You poor thing…"

He knew exactly who she was on about and cursed that he had let it happen. This was never going to leave him—how he had just allowed something like this to occur. He should have stayed in her place.

"Can you save her?" It was Gimi.

"I'll do what I can." Babamon shuffled about. "I've consulted Nog, Gimi."

Gimi didn't reply for a while. "Nog? You know how I feel about him."

"You Digital Guardians all hate each other, Gimi. But, Nog has been around longer and I needed to know what to do about _him_. Gennai is still missing too, of course, so you lot will have to start getting along soon."

"What of the trouble in the city? Does Nog know about that?"

"There are similar problems over in his area."

Gimi grumbled. "I'll be out there."

Tyler felt sleep tug at him, and as much as he tried to resist in the hopes he could find out more about Corinne's recovery, he felt himself fall into darkness.

~.~.~

Len continued to look up at the ceiling as Gimi walked in. He had counted the tiles many times now.

"I bet you are all staving Marvin!" He couldn't feel hunger, or thirst. He just felt tired.

Alex's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food.

Zalyea groaned. "Same ol' Alex."

Felismon bounded about the room, excitable somehow. "I'm hungry too, don't be slow."

"I'll be back with food for you two as well, Len, Rori."

Len just wished the ground would swallow him up. He didn't want to live anymore.

"Yo, what's wrong with you two, you ain't said a word?"

He didn't want to reply to Zalyea. She wouldn't understand.

"Len, man, you all healed now, we can forget 'bout that silly fool," Zalyea said. She was persistent but he really didn't care.

"Len? You okay, buddy? Rori, my beautiful flower, how about you?"

Len ignored Alex too, hoping they would just go away and leave him alone. He didn't know nor care why Rori also wasn't talking but he was glad she wasn't.

"They'll be fine. You should be more worried about me, my paws are sore," Felismon whined.

"They look fine to me, besides, Rori is a pretty girl." Alex was an idiot.

"Well you should look closer," Felismon said alluringly.

"Ow!" Alex yelped. As if he had fallen for that. Without looking, Len knew Felismon had scratched him but he just didn't care.

"You're so uncaring." Felismon pounced onto Len's bed and looked back at Alex. The feeling of her paws on his body was dull, as if there were several inches between her and him but he knew she was basically touching him through the thin blanket. "I might leave you." She leapt onto the windowsill, walking along it slowly.

"We both know you would miss the free meals too much," Alex called.

"I can get my own meals."

"But you'd rather have free ones…" Alex teased.

Felismon bounded from the windowsill back to Alex and curled up in his lap. "Maybe I'll keep you, for now."

"Len, Rori, what you doing, yo?"

Len closed his eyes, hoping that he would wake up and it would have all been a dream.

~.~.~

Len's eyes fluttered open and he saw it was dark everywhere. It was night time. Alex's loud snores masked any other sound and when he looked to his left, he saw Zalyea sleeping soundly. Slipping out of bed, he walked over to the door. He was still weak on his feet and his arms were sore but he managed to pull the door open and head into the bathroom nearby with relative ease.

As he walked in, he pulled the white string to his right and the light above flickered on, illuminating the small room. Len turned back and pushed the door closed, making sure to lock it; he didn't want to be disturbed. He walked across the laminated floor quietly—using the wall for support—and moved over to the mirror. The room was sparse, with just a mirror above the white sink and a porcelain toilet. A gentle breeze drifted in through the small open window but it was refreshing to his otherwise dull senses.

Len looked into the mirror and was shocked by what he saw. He had known what had been done to him but seeing the reality of it was something else. Clearly, healing it had been impossible for Babamon. Slowly, he moved his hand up to touch the scars on his forehead. He tapped them gingerly, grimacing at the pain that flew back into his head when his fingertips graced the troughs in his skin. These scars from that evil woman weren't going to heal, of that much he was fairly certain. However, that paled in comparison compared to the word she had written across his head.

He traced the letters on his forehead and felt a twang of pain in his heart as he did so. It was on whole different level to the physical ailment. Using one hand to hold his blue and black hair back from his forehead, he grabbed a flannel from the sink and turned on the tap. Len thrust the flannel under the hot running water and then began to scrub his head angrily. He was trying to scrub it away—trying as hard as he could to remove that word from himself.

Blood began to trickle down on his face, mixing with the tears he was crying and slipping into his mouth as he clenched his teeth together. The metallic salty taste clung to his tongue, making him feel sick. Slowly, he lifted the flannel away and saw the scar was still there, clear as day on his blood drenched face. He roared in anger and punched the mirror—shattering it and sending glass across the room—and then staggered backwards, shocked at what he had done.

He hit the wall behind and slumped onto the floor, crying softly so that he didn't wake anyone. The tears and blood dripped from his chin onto the floor, quickly forming puddles around him. In the corner of his eye, he saw his forehead in a large jagged shard of glass. "I'm not," he whispered, seeing Trish's face appear in the glass. He flashed back to her carving into his head and felt his whole body clench up. "I'm not!" he yelled, punching the shard of glass to shatter it.

Lifting his fist back up, he looked at the blood dripping from it. It trickled down, the chunks of glass embedded in his knuckles. "I'm not…"

~.~.~

Zalyea leant against the bathroom door, her back to it. She rested her head back, hearing everything that was going on in there but being unable to do anything about it. It was the worst thing to be able to hear and not help. She had seen what Patricia and done to him—and she would never forgive that evil woman for as long as she lived—but all Zalyea could do now was listen and try not to cry.

~.~.~

Len heard gentle snoring coming from the door and sniffled, his eyes having dried up already. He got up and walked over to the door slowly, curious as to who was outside. Pulling it open slightly, he peered outside and saw Zalyea sleeping against the door and no one else about. Walking back over to the remnants of the mirror, careful to avoid the shards of glass on the floor, he pulled his hair back over the scar and wiped his face with the hand towel. He plucked the shards of glass from his hand and then grabbed the first aid kit from the under-sink cabinet, getting a bandage out to dress the wound.

He looked at Zalyea as he wrapped his hand up, hoping she wouldn't wake up and felt guilty for what he was putting her through. Walking back over to the door, he placed one hand behind Zalyea's head as he opened it fully and then rested her head down gently. He stepped over her body carefully but piercing green eyes appeared in the darkness ahead and then he saw red hair.

"Rori?" he asked, pretending to be sleep dazed.

Rori looked down at Zalyea and then at the door opposite the bathroom. Pulling it open, she grabbed hold of Len's t-shirt and dragged him into it with her.

Rori pushed him gently into the middle of the room, shutting the door behind them. The room appeared to be a storage room for tables and chairs.

Len opened his mouth to speak but Rori's finger on his lips stopped him.

Looking him in the eyes, she slowly moved her other hand up his face, lifting his hair out of the way.

Len had no idea what to do. She was going to see it. Looking into her gentle eyes as they glistened faintly of gold around the pupil, he saw the moment she traced over the word with her eyes.

Without a word, she let the hair flop back down.

They stood there without speaking for what felt like forever, although Len could see by the clock near the door that it had only been a few seconds.

Rori slowly moved her finger away from his lips.

"Rori, what're you do—?"

Rori's lips touched his and he didn't know what to do.

Feeling bad, he tried to move away but she kissed a little deeper and he found himself enjoying it now. Reaching up slowly, he placed his hand against her face and began to kiss her back. A cold draft blew through the room, tickling their bodies and fluttering their clothes about.

Rori moved away and looked him in the eyes, smiling.

He stared back into hers as they glistened, smiling now too.

Rori leaned in, her lips puckered.

Len looked away, unable to make eye contact. "I don't love you, Rori." He looked at her small bare feet on the wooden flooring, hoping that he would see them leave without a word. He wasn't sure why he had felt the need to say it but he knew he had to.

"I don't love you either." Rori leant back.

"Then, why are you doing this?" He looked back up, into her shiny orbs. Was she up to something? Was this pity? Where had it come from?

Louder, she retorted, "Why aren't we doing this?"

Without a response to give, he looked back down at her feet guiltily.

Rori stepped away from him, walking backwards until her ankle caught against a chair leg and she fell over onto her bum, her limbs sprawling and grasping all over for balance.

Len laughed a little. How could he not? He stepped closer, holding out a hand towards her heaped body but still trying to stifle his laughter.

Rori scowled. "It's not funny." She folded her arms at first, adamant not to accept but eventually she sighed and took his hand.

He pulled her up but found as she got back to her feet, their faces were touching. The intimacy of the moment consumed him. Thinking straight had faded away now. Maybe this would be okay. A good distraction. He leant in, closing his eyes slightly but Rori looked away.

"You were right, I was stupid." Rori turned her body away from him. "I was just being over emotional like usual." She sighed and clenching her fists, she said, "I'm an idiot."

Stepping back, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Just… nothing." She didn't look him in the eye, instead her eyes moved across the furniture. "Just horny teenagers, I guess."

Len tried to stammer a reply but nothing came. "Horny?"

Rori blushed slightly. "I'm just going to go. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Len." Turning, she climbed over the heaped furniture carefully and left without another word.

As the door closed, Len sagged onto the floor again and tried to gather himself, unsure what to do next.

~.~.~

Rori looked at Zalyea briefly, her green eyes dancing over the sleeping girl as she thought about what she and Len had just done. No doubt Zalyea wouldn't have been happy about it but Rori didn't care. Right now, she just needed to work out what she needed. Losing her two closest friends was playing on her mind. After losing her parents, she hoped for stability, strength. And she thought she had found that in Leon and Aleena. But now… she wasn't so sure anymore. Sighing, she headed back to the room, hoping to get some sleep before Len and Zalyea came back.

As she walked in, she was confronted by Alex in the doorway. He had presumably woken up due to Felismon, since the window was open and the feline was absent. A chilly wind hit her, freezing her still.

"Hey, gorgeous." He yawned, stretching. "What you doing?" He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. "Can I help?"

Rori smiled briefly, but slipped past him, trying to ignore him. She was planning, thinking, trying to work out her next step and distractions would only hinder her. However, right now, the compliment had made her blush because she couldn't imagine feeling less gorgeous at the moment. In fact, this was the lowest she had ever felt.

"Don't ignore me, I know you can hear me," Alex called. "At least tell me what's going on."

Rori turned around and saw Alex walking over. "What do you want, Alex?" she asked, noting that she had snapped slightly. Nothing made sense anymore and her head felt like it was fighting her heart. Being away from nature and her friends left her feeling vulnerable, exposed. She felt exhausted mentally, physically and spiritually. She was just sick of the Digital World and everything to do with it. As soon as she could, she would get away from all of this but then she couldn't. Aleena needed her help. So, did Leon. The internal conflict was tearing her mind apart piece by piece.

"No need to be so mean." Alex scratched his head, yawning. He yawned a lot. "I just thought you might want some company in your bed." He winked, grinning.

Rori sighed despairingly. "I'm not in the mood. She turned away, walking to her bed.

"I saw you that night."

Rori turned back to look at him. What did he mean? "What night?"

Alex casually rocked on his feet. "The night that Aleena left, I saw you crying and holding a photo of some boy."

Rori felt her cheeks flush red, this time with anger, and charged over to him.

Alex retreated until he was against his bedframe.

Rori continued getting closer until she was leaning over him as he bent backwards to try and escape. "You saw _nothing_ ," she growled through gritted teeth. How dare he watch her!

Alex fell backwards onto the bed. "But—"

"But nothing!" The only thing that was stopping her from beating him up was that stupid grin and how it reminded her of him.

"I just thought you might want to talk, honey?" Alex said, smiling uneasily. He had his hands up defensively, holding them out as if she were a rabid animal.

"No, and if you _ever_ bring him up again, you'll see a different side of me." Her nostrils flared as she struggled to rein in her anger. The air quickly became very still. In that moment, you could have heard a pin drop. As it was, the gentle breathing of the others resting filled the lull.

Alex gulped, hopefully in fear. "I'll keep it between us." He kept eye contact with her as he slid up his bed and under the covers. "I promise."

Rori didn't take her eyes back off him for a little while, trying to make sure that he knew how angry she was. Getting him back… Rescuing him was an impossible challenge and she didn't want to be constantly reminded of it. Right now, all she wanted was her friend back and to be happy and healthy with Orchidemon by her side.

Climbing into bed, she realised that she wasn't mad at Alex, she was mad at the situation. It was unfair to treat him so badly when he had done little wrong to her. "Goodnight, Alex," she chirped.

"Good— Goodnight?" Alex confusedly stammered. "I hope you sleep tight…?"

"Goodnight, Alex," Rori repeated tiredly. She just wanted to go to sleep so she could stop thinking, just for a moment.

~.~.~

Aleena opened her eyes slowly, unsure of where she was or if she was even alive. Her head was swimming with faint recollections of what had happened and now she was trying to piece them together to get the full picture. Her vision was white and blurry, distracting her from her thoughts. "Is it— is it over for me?" she whispered. It felt like her brain had been liquefied and was sloshing about in her head as she struggled to regain any kind of focus. The cold flooring beneath her felt fairly solid as she laid on it but she wasn't sure what it was made of. Her body was too weak to move just yet and there was pain all over. Some of it felt like the time she had her appendix removed so she presumed they had done surgery on her; that's if she was still alive.

Opening her eyes wider, Aleena stared up at the ceiling. "Where am I?" she muttered, still trying to make sense of the flashes of memories. Rori had left. Before that, she said goodbye to Taran. And then? Had she committed suicide at some point? No, there was more after Rori left. A familiar face. "Kayran!" Aleena yelled, bursting bolt upright. She looked around desperately, but the small room she was in was empty and white. Excruciating pain tore into her body and she fell back onto the floor, convulsing involuntarily in agony.

"Cat got your tongue, Aleena?" Kayran!

"What have you done to me?" Aleena screamed through the pain, determined to show him that she would not be beat by a few injuries.

"I'll let you wait and see, I think it's better that way." The crackle of a microphone. So, he wasn't in the room. "You're still fresh out of surgery, so I think it's best you rest for now. Honestly, I'm surprised that you woke up from the anaesthetic that fast. But, you always were special."

Aleena looked up, just about managing to lift her head. "You know when I get out of here, I'm going to separate your head from your body," she growled through gritted teeth.

Raucous laughter filled the room and then the intercom clicked off.

Eventually, the intense pain subsided, becoming gentle ebbs and flows at her wounds. She managed to push herself up against the wall, albeit with difficulty, in order to inspect the wounds in more detail. Whatever they had done involved messing around inside her body, she could tell that much. They would have definitely put a new tracking chip in but she was sure they had done more. Rubbing the back of her neck, she winced as she felt the fresh scar. There it was.

She gazed around the room, trying to see if there was anything of note but the room was just four white walls with a matching roof and floor. It was a little disorientating and there were no discernible weak points. Rolling her head to the side, she rested her cheek flat on the cool wall and tried to remember anything. She just wanted to be able to piece some of what had happened together.

Sighing, she realised she couldn't remember anything and gave up. He must have knocked her out and kept her under this whole time, which meant the only memories she had wouldn't be of much use anyway. It could have been days, weeks even, since her last wakeful moment.

"Aleena?" The voice roused her from her exhaustion and then it spoke again. "Is that you, child?"

She turned, looking, and saw Bertha sat on a white seat in the corner of the room. That was her. "B—" It had to be fake, but she was wearing that old grey poncho she would always wear. And the pinafore. There was no way. "B— B—"

"It's me, child, aunty Bertha. Lord Kayran invited me in to keep you company, my sweet pea." There was no way he would do something that nice for a start. Not without a reason. What kind of game was he playing?

"Bertha…" She looked at the woman, trying to see any differences to work out if it was an actor or not. There was no way this was the real Bertha but she looked and sounded exactly the same. "I watched you die."

"No, child, you're mistaken." She smiled. "Lord Kayran looked after me. I'm fine, see." She moved her arms a little, laughing gently. That was her laugh!

"Y— you're dead." Aleena couldn't believe her eyes. There was no way for her to believe what she was seeing.

"I'm in front of you, child. Open your eyes!" She started laughing again, flooding Aleena's memories with recollections of when they would have fun together. But those times were over. Bertha was dead.

Aleena winced in pain as she pushed herself up to her feet. She still had to use the wall to support herself but she was managing, just about, to stand. "You can't be."

"Don't push yourself, my sweet." Bertha reached out tentatively.

"You can't be her!" Aleena yelled, shaking from anger and strain as she held herself up. This was some sick joke.

"I'm here now, Aleena." She beckoned towards herself. "Come hug me, child."

"You're not real!" Aleena screamed, tears spilling from her eyes. This was a foreign feeling. This weird sadness inside. She didn't really remember feeling like this too often and she never cried at things this silly either. What was happening to her? "Go Away!" Even though she knew she was quick to anger, it was also never normally this quick.

Bertha shook her head, no longer looking Aleena in the eyes. "Aleena, darling." She looked up scathingly. "I watched you grow up, and this is how you repay me? Disgusting!"

"Shut up!" Aleena screamed, grabbing her ears so she didn't have to listen to the lies anymore. She started crying more now, unable to control it. Kayran had done something to her—to her emotions. She wasn't sure how but he had amplified them. He was inside of her head.

"This is the last time I'll speak to you; you were awful child anyway. Good riddance." Bertha stood up and walked over to a door that formed in one of the walls.

"You're not real!" Aleena screamed, bursting across the room and thrusting her fist towards a shocked Bertha in attempt to stop whatever trickery this was but a wound on her abdomen reopened as she charged. Staggering, she tried to keep moving forwards but fell straight past the old woman, landing on her face. Aleena started to cry, but she wasn't sure why. "You're not real!"

Bertha looked back as she walked out of the door, shaking her head.

Aleena reached for the door, trying to get free but barely able to move her arm. Her fingertips graced the door briefly before it slid closed and disappeared again.

Tutting. "You shouldn't treat people like that, Aleena."

Aleena didn't have to look far for the voice as the familiar round face came into view as he knelt and looked at her with pity.

"This is why everyone hates you. We only pretend to like you because you're crazy." This was his voice.

"You're not real…" Aleena muttered. She couldn't even fathom this. He wouldn't be a part of any of this even if he was alive.

The wetness from her blood began to spread up her body as she felt her consciousness wane.

"You're going to die in this cell. You'll never leave and I hope you bleed every. Single. Day."

Aleena began to sob louder and yelled, "Leon wouldn't say that, go away!"

"I am Leon, Aleena." The blond boy smirked. "And I am saying it." He looked at her hair. "Who has hair like yours anyway? Green is a disgusting colour." He wouldn't say that. Leon made jokes but he never insulted her.

"You're not him!" Aleena screamed, lashing out but her fist went straight through the body as it fizzled briefly and then eventually vanished. This was too painful and no amount of telling herself it wasn't real could fool her brain.

Aleena rolled onto her back, panting from exhaustion. "Stop this!"

"What about me, am I real?" Not again.

* * *

 **Finally releasing this chapter. I've agonised over it for a lot of reasons so I hope some people can find a way to enjoy it. Any critiques would be very welcome.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	39. Chapter 38: Rest and Digest

The wooden doors slid open with a loud bang. "Hallo, hallo, hallo! One and all, I come bearing gifts great and small!" Gimi was stood with a long metal trolley that had thirteen plates. He wheeled it in and then staggered backwards. "The air is funky in here. What happened last night?"

Alex glanced over at Rori and then back at Gimi. "N— nothing!" he stammered.

"Talmon is still absent I see." Gimi lifted a metal cloche off one of the dishes and lifted the plate up. With a flash, it vanished into thin air and then he continued pushing the trolley into the room. "Rightio, who's first?"

"I'm starving, yo!" Zalyea rubbed her stomach.

"Me too, yo!" Gaimon was already back to her hyper self.

Felismon opened one eye from the windowsill where she laid, light spilling in from it across her body. Yawning, she asked, "Feed me?"

"I could eat." Tyler coughed, spluttering as he pushed himself up, the covers sliding down his body to reveal his pale skinned torso.

Alex looked over quickly "Ty!" He was alright!

"Alex." Tyler smiled warmly. "I assume there's been consensual savouring of our collective recreation time while we recover?" Grasping his stomach, he breathed through the pain and looked over at Gimi. "Is everyone alive?"

Gimi looked over at Corinne. "See for yourself."

Alex and Tyler both looked over at the blonde. The pale blue quilt covering her rose and fell slowly in time with her breathing.

"Time is still in discord between the two worlds so resting here is best for now."

"Why is it in discord?" Tyler asked, wincing as he reached for a glass of water on the bedside table.

"Wibbly wobbly timey wimey." Gimi blew a raspberry with his tongue. "Anyway, food time!"

After placing the plates down in front of everyone, Gimi turned to leave but Tyler stopped him.

"What about Aleena?" he asked hopefully.

Gimi looked back over his shoulder. "I'm sure I'll find her soon." He left, closing the door with a gentle tap behind him.

Alex looked down at the Full English breakfast in front of him. Until now, nothing really bad had ever happened. Even what happened in Japan didn't compare to this. Someone they had got to know, and possibly even liked might be dead now because of what they did.

"Yo, let's just eat." Zalyea poked her scrambled eggs with a fork, the yolk leaking out of them both.

Alex pushed his clean plate away, sighing contentedly. "Len, how you doing?" Alex looked over at the younger boy; the emotional stalwart of the group hadn't said a word in forever.

"I…" Len was staring at his food but it had remained untouched save for a knife stabbed into a sausage standing erect in the centre of the plate. "I'm fine."

"Give 'im some time," Zalyea interjected, flicking a bean from her fork at Alex.

He ducked, gagging. Beans were gross!

Gimi appeared in a swirl of colourful blocks next to Tyler's bed, whispering. It was too hard to make anything out but Tyler didn't seem too receptive of whatever was being said.

"I don't think we are the chosen you read about, Gimi. I think it's time for us to go back to our normal lives and leave the Digital World up to someone more suited to the task." Wait. Did he really mean that? Was he just giving up?

"After I send you all home, you won't hear from me again?" What was happening?

Tyler looked at the group and spoke loudly and clearly. "We're leaving as soon as Corinne is recovered."

But they had stuff to do! Was he serious? "What about Aleena?" Alex blurted. Felismon slipped under his arm, purring, but he couldn't think about her right now. "The ripple things? The message we got in the forest!"

"None of that is of our concern." Tyler's reply was cold.

Alex looked at Len who was spinning the spoon slowly around a bowl of cereal with his fingertip. Why couldn't he say something! Do something! Fix this! "Len!"

Tyler looked over at the Asian boy. "Len?"

Len looked up through his shaggy blue and black hair, his eyes sunken.

"What do you think?" Tyler asked, smiling.

"I agree."

"With me?" Alex asked, a grin beginning to form.

Len shook his head slowly. "Let's give up." WHAT?

Zalyea gasped. "You serious?"

"Len can speak for heself, Zal," Gaimon interjected, nudging her partner.

"So, you disagree, Zalyea?" Tyler asked, his tone a little more morose.

"Damn straight!" Zalyea thumped her fist on the bed. "We didn' do all this for nuttin!"

Tyler nodded. "That's fine." His grey-blue eyes drifted slowly over to Alex, resting on him firmly. "And you? Alex?"

Alex looked down at Felismon scraping the fish from each individual bone and felt his frustration reach breaking point. "I don't want to give up this easily; I want to fight!" He felt his voice falter slightly. Was he being silly? His inner turmoil was shaking his conviction. Maybe adventures were just for little kids and it was time to grow up?

"Alexander, this isn't our battle to fight anymore. Your recalcitrant attitude is helping no one." Having his full name used like that was so embarrassing. Tyler didn't do it to anyone else; just he alone was treated like a stupid child.

Alex fiddled with his blue t-shirt, trying to gather himself. The thought of speaking out again made his tongue feel ten times too big for his mouth. His forehead felt hot and his heart raced. Anxiety was creeping in from the deepest corners of his mind and taking a hold again.

"Alex, I know it's difficult to comprehend my reasoning right now, but I assure you that you'll thank me in the future."

Alex shook the feeling away. Looking up, he mustered a smile. "Yeah, fine. Let's do what you say."

"Thank you."

Tyler looked over at Rori hesitantly. "What about you? You are a member of our group now and have as much right to an opinion as any of us."

Rori looked at them all briefly. "A group of kids shouldn't be involved in all of this. Get rid of The Resistance." Alex was in disbelief. She was part of RODAF. What could she possibly be scared of? They were an organisation that struck fear into the public everywhere. A group who no one would say the name of for fear of persecution.

"I agree." Tyler nodded slowly.

Wait? Had he really just said that? He couldn't have, could he?

"Yo, you can't be serious!" Zalyea threw her hands up in the air. "This is ridiculous!"

In a tone almost devoid of any emotion, Tyler replied, "I'm deadly serious."

"Tyler!" Alex managed to blurt his protest, anymore words failing to spew from his whirring brain. He didn't want to throw all this away over a little blip!

"As leader, and without second in command present, I hereby enact the immediate disbanding of The Resistance."

"Ty, yo! You can't do this. We a team!" Zalyea was tearing up.

"What she said, yo!" Gaimon moved to the edge of the bed, her wide eyes glaring at Tyler.

Felismon's tail wagged as she slinked to her feet. "I'll still burn stuff and you can't stop me." She bounded across the room, landing on the windowsill. Her tail swished, firing off a ball of fire that scorched the floor. "See," she muttered, yawning.

"Ty, please!" Alex begged, desperate.

"My decision is _final_!"

No one dared to speak for the longest time as they all tried to take it in.

"I'm glad." Len placed the tray of food on the bedside table and looked down at his Digivice. "Glad this is over." Surely he didn't mean this?

"Len, bro. You don' mean that. You just confused right now, 'cause of—" Zalyea stopped, as if Felismon had snatched the tongue right out of her mouth.

"Because of what?" Len snapped.

"Len…" Zalyea muttered, her voice softer than it ever had been before.

"Because of this?" He lifted the hair from his forehead, revealing the scarred word beneath.

Alex gulped, trying to find words to express his feelings. He would make RODAF pay.

Rori placed her own tray to the side. "This is why it has to be stopped before one of you—" The word was left lingering. A word all of them heard but wasn't said.

Alex knew in himself though. They had to do this. _Someone chose them!_ "What about Aleena?"

"I'll save her." Rori looked out to the window. Talmon had slipped in and was stood next to Felismon. A half-eaten plate of food was next to them both and the Digimon's arms paws were folded across his chest. "I'll knock some sense into her and… and." Rori nodded firmly. With conviction, she continued, "I'll save her."

Alex still didn't even know what happened but he knew he had to help. "I want to help!"

"I don't need a flirty puppy," Rori said shortly.

He was so much more than that. How didn't she or anyone else get it! No one was listening!

Orchidemon erupted from Rori's Digivice in a flash of green.

"It's time to go, Orchidemon." Rori climbed to her feet, albeit a little unsteadily.

"You rest!" Orchidemon pushed her back into the bed. "Too early."

"Yo, how you expect to fight them alone when we couldn't all do it together!" Zalyea shook her head. "Honestly, girl, you stupid."

Rori clenched her fists. "I'll find a way. I have to."

"What will Corinne say when she wakes up?" Alex asked, now looking at the slumbering blonde.

"She'll understand the decision I made and ensure you all cease being so facetious," Tyler replied swiftly.

All these big words served no purpose other than to make Alex feel small. "Says who?"

"Alex, Zalyea, you'll just have to trust me. I want what's best." That stupid irritating tone again!

"You just want what's best for you!" Alex growled. He couldn't take this anymore.

Tyler's tone was softer this time. "Alex…"

"You want the team to be over? Fine, you got me. I agree." Alex folded his arms. He was never going to speak to that stupid black-haired idiot again.

Zalyea climbed out of her bed and went over to Len. "Len, remember what we promised?"

Len didn't look up. "Yeah."

"I'm still stickin' by it, how 'bout you?"

"I." He faltered and started to cry, covering his eyes with his arm. There wasn't a single time Alex could remember seeing him cry.

Zalyea climbed into the bed, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into her chest.

Alex felt so helpless. He would do anything to stop this feeling.  
"Do you see now why I want us disbanded?" Tyler hissed.

"I…" Alex felt his resolve soften as he watched Len. "I'll miss you all."

"We don't have to stop seeing each other, Alex. But we do have to stop these frivolous endeavours." Tyler smiled. "Okay?"

Alex reminisced, moments flying through his head like a swarm of butterflies. The stupid fights they had when they first arrived and barely knew each other. Fighting in Central with their new partners. And then Japan, and the first time Felismon Digivolved. It was all over now. Memories would stay memories.

"Alex, for what it's worth, I appreciate everything you've done." Tyler coughed, gripping his chest. With a big inhale, he continued "I know that we will never forget each other." He wasn't dying, this was so soppy!

"What about Taran?" The female voice pierced the room, stopping time itself.

Corinne didn't move, but she spoke again. "Are we going back for him, team?" Wearily, she called out, "Tyler?"

"Gimi checked the account and we've been paid. There's no reason to return." Tyler didn't look at her.

"Wasn't the plan to check on him after all this?" Corinne groaned.

"The plan changed." Tyler looked down into his bed, biting his lip.

"Why?"

Tyler looked at her, his face contorted in anguish. "You should rest."

Corinne pushed herself up. "I'm over the worst of it." Looking at them all, she asked. "What's going on?"

Alex couldn't look at her after what had just happened.

Corinne, annoyed now, demanded, "Tell me."

"The Resistance is over. Rori glanced around. "They all cared a minute ago."

"What do you mean 'over'?" Corinne took a deep breath in, closing her eyes, and then exhaled slowly.

"I disbanded the team." Tyler swung his legs over the side of the bed. "In the best interests of the team—"

"Okay." Corinne reached gingerly over to the juice on the side of the bed, taking a sip. "I agree with Tyler's choice, for the record."

That was the final nail in the coffin! This was not like Corinne at all. Had the world turned upside while he was asleep? "Corinne," he stammered.

"Alex, Tyler is just looking out for you," she insisted, massaging her rib.

How dare she be so condescending! "I can look after myself!"

Corinne shook her head. "Alex, I can't take your side this time. Please, don't make this hard for me."

"Fine," Alex grumbled. He would add her to the list of grudges.

"Tyler, can you help me take a walk?" Corinne pulled the covers off herself slowly. A loose gown clung to her body, with only a small white nightgown underneath. The scars and bruised on her pale skin were a sharp contrast to the purity of the clothes she wore.

"Just wait there." Tyler rushed over, grabbing a grey t-shirt and pulling it on as he ran over. Blue pyjama bottoms, the same ones Alex and Len had on, covered Tyler's bony legs. He allowed her to lean on him as she climbed out of the bed and they left slowly.

"I am _not_ happy." Alex crossed his arms firmly.

"Shut up," Zalyea groaned, rolling her eyes.

~.~.~

As they got outside, Corinne nudged him. "Can we go to _that_ spot, one last time?"

Tyler nodded, leading her out through the garden, which was being repaired by various Digimon, and across the verdant plain outside until they reached a large white rock shaped like a rabbit near the forest.

Corinne nodded to the rabbit. "Can you help me climb up?" She laughed coyly.

Tyler grunted a little as he helped her up onto the 'head' of the rock. Sitting down on the grass facing her, he smiled. This was nice. Just the two of them with no pretences of monsters or adventure.

"Remember the first time we came here?" Corinne lay back on the rabbit and looked up at the sky. A gust of wind caught hold of her dressing gown, pulling the loose knot open and fluttering the thin fabric around in the wind.

Tyler laughed, remembering. "Like it was yesterday." He closed his eyes, picturing it. "You didn't speak for at least an hour."

"What changed?" Corinne's voice was a little more sombre now.

For once, he couldn't work her out. "What do you mean?"

"When did you become so defeatist?" Her head lolled to the side, her blue orbs locking onto his own.

"I thought you were on my side, he stammered."

"Come on Ty. We both know that was a show for the others." Looking back up at the sky, she muttered, "It wasn't real."

In some ways, he had known. She had never backed down like that before. It's why she was perfect for second in command.

"What made you give up?"

"You did." Tyler was so embarrassed. Had he really just said that?"

Looking at him with one eye, she asked, "What do you mean, 'I did'?"

How on earth was he supposed to phrase this? "When I woke up and saw you like that… I couldn't forgive myself." Gripping the grass in frustration, he muttered, "I still don't."

Corinne exhaled exhaustedly, hissing at the end through gritted teeth and sat up. "What gives you the right to decide if I'm okay or not? I'm breathing, aren't I?"

She was only barely breathing. How was he meant to explain _that_ to her? "I couldn't live with myself if you had actually—" He breathed deeply, shaking like the leaves that blew from the nearby trees. "Corinne, I care too much to see you get hurt."

A little taken aback, Corinne said, "I knew what I was getting myself into." Gritting her teeth, she held back tears and then yelled, "How dare you act like it's your job to look out for me!" She breathed heavily, her chest rapidly rising and falling as she continued, "You didn't even ask me how I felt about any of this. Well, guess what? I'm not freaking happy!" A tear rolled down her cheek and she coughed weakly, wiping it away.

Tyler, reached up but hesitated. "Corinne…"

"Maybe it's best it ended this way." Stopping looking at him, she growled spitefully, "Before we got any closer."

"What do you mean?" Why was she being so complicated?

Corinne sighed. "Your mum told me all about how you're so terrified of losing anyone since your dad left that you never let anyone get close to you." Shaking her head, she added, "She even said that she thought we might be changing you—that we might be helping." Biting her lip, she clenched her fists. "She— She told me that maybe if we came over next Christmas she could finally see you be happy again." Inhaling her deeply, she hissed, grabbing her ribs. Through the pain, she growled, "How wrong was she?"

"Are you okay?" Tyler stood up, moving towards her but stopped when she held out her hand.

Corinne shook her head and relaxed, moving her hand away slowly. "You don't get to decide if people get close to you, but you do get to choose if you stick around." Looking at him, her eyes watering, she said, "We all got close to you, Ty, and you've _chosen_ to leave us." She wiped her eyes, albeit with a little difficulty and relaxed back. "I just want you to know that you compare this to your dad. This time, it's you who left. _You_ gave up."

The words stung, as he assumed she had intended. Gritting his teeth, her fought back the tears. "Cori, I didn't want to ever see you in pain again. Why can't you understand that?" he yelled.

"You weren't there when I was in pain in Japan, were you? I nearly died then and you weren't there." Shivering, she pulled the white dressing gown tight around herself. "You let that slide. So, I'll ask again: what's changed now?"

"This time it was my fault!" Tyler looked down at his bare feet, which were now beginning to feel cold on the hard earth beneath his feet. "I could have helped but I didn't. If I had just stopped us from going…"

"I was the one who said we would help, not you. I knew what might happen and I made the call. It was my responsibility." Softer, she asked, "Tyler, please, just tell me?"

Words to explain how he cared in a different way failed him. With such an expansive vocabulary, he fell at the final linguistic hurdle.

"Tyler, I need to know." She smiled gently. "We lost Aleena, and I understand that—I really do get it—but that doesn't mean you give up." Wincing, she breathed sharply through her nose. "She fought under her own steam, with or without us."

"It's not Aleena." Why was this so hard?

"Then what is it?" Corinne glared at him. "I'm wracking my brains here, Ty."

Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge. Clenching his eyes shut, he exclaimed, "I _really_ care about you and I want to be able to be with you and not worry if you'll wake up or that next attack will kill you. I want to worry about which flower to buy you: roses or orchids. I want to worry about what to call our children." He opened his eyes a crack and bit his lip, noticing she hadn't said anything. Why hadn't she said anything? "You asked me what had changed and I said you but you're right, that was a lie. I've changed and I just can't do this anymore."

Shaking her head, she screamed, "You have absolutely no right to do this!"

"What?" he managed to stutter. What had he done wrong?

"You can't expect me to just eat that up and follow blindly?" Blood flecked onto the white dress from a reopening wound. "I love these adventures. I love _being_ with everyone. I love how every day isn't the same! But, Tyler…"

He felt the ground swallow him up and longed for the words to never come. "Corinne, don't."

"I don't love _you._ "

* * *

 **In the rewriting of this chapter, as I do with all chapters about a week or two prior to planning a release, I cut out over 2000 words. I feel like the emotional flip-flop of this chapter is already a lot to handle and the more things were lingered on the less impactful it became. However, in the pre-edit prior to release I usually add a little and tidy it up. Due to being extremely busy in real life with some bad stuff I haven't had as much time this week in order to do a good pre-edit so there may be little mistakes and minor plot-holes. Anyway, that's enough about my writing process. If you notice anything within the chapter, let me know.**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


	40. Chapter 39: It's a Long Journey Home

Amber light from the window to his right draped the unpleasant room with its glow. The window was lacking a pane, so the sunrise's warmth was especially striking. The floor beneath him was littered with rubbish and rubble, with various spotlights made from holes in the ceiling above highlighting certain objects as if it were a gameshow; a broken gun, a blood-stained knife and a child's teddy bear. Dust had settled across them all, and everything else in the room, giving everything a dull appearance to it all. In the distance, there was loud explosions and the sounds of planes overhead occasionally. The booms of the planes shook his chest, vibrating his eardrums and making him jump every single time. So… this was Japan.

Over the past few days—at least it felt like it had been that long, but with all the travelling it was impossible to have any concept of time—they had been all over. His brain could barely comprehend the variety of things he had seen. First, after the desert they had appeared underwater but they managed to sneak aboard a submarine and then they were back on a snowy mountain where they met a nice Digimon called Frigimon. They jumped back, this time to America, but found it easy to bounce straight back to a forest with a lake in the middle. Matt and Mimi had lingered there for a while before they managed to find a TV screen to suck them back away, this time to Paris. There was a lot of English-speaking people in Paris, and everyone seemed to be really happy and friendly but before Taran could try some of the nice fancy bread they went back to another stupid desert. Luckily, they bounced back to Africa quick, got out of there and then did a volcano, the north pole, a weird house with creepy puppets, Iceland and a creepy castle before finally popping out in Japan.

"Home sweet home, eh, Mimi?" Matt said, chuckling dryly.

"Let's just find some electricity and get back out of here," Mimi replied shortly. Both of their partners, who were crowding up the space inside, slipped out of a particularly large hole in the roof above and disappeared.

"Call if you need us, Mimi," Rosemon's distant voice chimed.

"We will," Mimi called back, smiling briefly.

Taran looked at their faces; they seemed like they were in pain. Walking slowly over to the nearest window, he peered outwards. What he could see was: husks of buildings, which had been burned to ash and rubble, a sky blackened by smoke clouds, a street littered with potholes and burned out cars, and no one—not a single soul—in sight. He turned back and looked up at the two of them. "Was this your house?"

Mimi smiled and shook her head, her brown eyes sparkling. "Maybe a long time ago. It's been a while since I've been in Highton View Terrace."

Taran pondered why they were here then. So far it had been some random places, but Matt had said this was home. "So why is it your home?"

"Don't you remember?" Mimi said, putting her hand on his shoulder and gazing out the window. "We're Japanese. This is our country."

Before Taran had time to even work out why this was happening, Matt called over.

"The stairwell seems clear. Let's head down and try find a TV."

"Okay, Taran, off we go!" Mimi led him out of the room, albeit a little reluctantly and they started down the stairs.  
Taran looked around himself. This was awful. It couldn't be a home. A home was somewhere nice and warm and it had all your family. This place had none of that. "Are we going outside where all those booms are?"

Mimi glanced down at him, her face contorting as she seemed to think of a response.

"Just for a bit." Matt held out a hand and stopped dead in his tracks.

Taran furrowed his brow. Why would he want to go out there when he could be safe in here? "But—"

"Shh," Matt hissed. He looked around. "I think—"

From behind, someone said something but in really weird words.

Matt glanced back at the man, as did Taran and Mimi. The man was holding a big gun towards them and he responded using the same weird words but Taran was only able to pick out one that he knew; 'Digimon'.

At the mention of the word, Taran reached down to look at his Digivice but felt cold metal press into forehead, forcing it back up. As he raised his gaze, he saw that he was facing down the barrel of a gun and felt himself shake like a leaf. Was he going to die?  
Mimi interjected, holding out a hand and grabbing the end of the gun. She calmly said a few of those weird words and then looked back at Taran.

Reluctantly, the man lowered his gun and nudged them down the stairs they were on.

They continued to walk downwards until they reached the ground floor but they didn't go out the door. Instead, the man walked over to a vending machine. He glanced back, his dark brown pupils sizing them up before he tapped something into the machine. Was he hungry? Why was he getting a snack now of all times? The vending machine moved, slowly and loudly, to the side with a _Chunk Clunk_. The man looked back at them. "Kuru."

Matt followed the raven-haired man, his shoulder-length dirty hair hanging out of the helmet he wore, glancing back at Mimi and Taran.

Mimi looked over her shoulder at the other man, who was, like the man in front, wearing a black jacket and trousers and wore a black helmet on his head. He had a long gun pointed at them and prodded it hard into Mimi's back.

Taran got angry. Why was he being so mean? But before he could do anything, Mimi ushered them after Matt and the other man.

They descended into the darkness, their footsteps echoing as they bounced off the stone walls. Taran nearly tripped up every few steps, struggling to find his way on these steep steps with no vision. Mimi grabbed his hand, which was a relief. "When we get down there, agree with everything we say," Mimi whispered.

Taran had no idea what she meant. What if they told him to never see his family again? Or to jump off a bridge? His parents had warned against peer pressure but why would Mimi ask him if it wasn't for a good reason? "Why?"

"Just—"

"Damare!" the man from behind barked.

Mimi gently stroked Taran's hand and then began to move her finger in a ticklish pattern.

Was that a T? Or was he imagining it? No, that felt like an R. Then a U. S… and another T. He sounded it out in his head when he felt Mimi's hand slip away. Looking down at where he knew his hand was, although he couldn't see it, he whispered, "Trust?"

"Damare!" The man pushed him out into a slightly brighter room.

Taran's eyes stung as they adjusted to the light and he felt a stern hand force him to his knees. Looking around, he saw men just like those who had caught them all around this huge rectangular room. They were stood silently with guns in their hands. Others walked around, entering and leaving via various other black tunnels that could lead to anywhere. Dim bare light bulbs hung overhead, sprinkling a dull light onto the dirty brown flooring. Wait. This was just mud, it wasn't even flooring.

Footsteps slapped onto the mud ahead and a man walked towards them. He was wiry and slim, with eyes that looked like they hadn't seen sleep in years. His sunken face and pointed nose made him look like the Bogeyman. The almost translucent white skin didn't help matters, especially when his shaggy black hair was stuck to the sides of his face, presumably by dirt and sweat. Unlike the other men, he didn't wear a helmet, and had a black roll-neck jumper instead of a jacket. His black boots stopped in front of them and he nodded to the two men, swinging his bony hands behind his back and clasping them. He spoke some more of those weird words at Mimi and Matt.

Mimi and Matt glanced at each other and said nothing.

The man raised an eyebrow and sighed tiredly. "Korosu."

"Yameru!" Mimi exclaimed. She panted exhaustedly and looked at Matt, shaking her head. Quickly, she began to speak in that weird language again, so fast Taran couldn't pick out a single word. She looked at Taran briefly while talking and then back at the man. When she finished, she gasped for air and looked at the man in expectation, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"English?" The man said, looking at Taran.

He didn't look particularly threatening, but now Taran could understand his abrupt speech it was a different matter. Taran definitely felt afraid. He nodded, gulping. Last time, being English had got him in trouble but Mimi told him to just agree to everything.

"You are saviour of the worlds?"

Taran looked at Mimi.

"Me, not her!" he snapped, clicking his fingers and pointing at Taran and his eyes. "Saviour, yes or no?"

Taran nodded, feeling sweat build on his forehead.

He narrowed his eyes. "Prove it."

"How is he supposed to—?" A gun struck Matt across the head before he could finish talking and his face was pushed into the dirt, where he grimaced but didn't resist.

The man clicked his fingers. "Korosu."

A gun touched the side of Taran's head. He knew what it was without looking this time. And couldn't help but freeze up entirely. His head was blank.

"Wait, please! He can save us all! Stop all of this mess that happened! He can unite the two worlds again! Please!" Mimi cried.

The man looked at her, not speaking. "You think he can stop all of this?" He asked, raising his hands. As if by magic, the room shook and the light bulbs swayed. Dust spilled down from the ceiling, falling onto Taran's hair and dripping down onto his face and clothes. "No." The man shook his head. "No one can save us from the war his people wage. The bombs they drop on our women and children. The bullets they put through my friends. The Digimon they killed."

"He can!" Mimi almost had tears in her eyes. "He is the child of light. The one from the prophecy. The bearer of the two holy crests. Homeostasis chose him!"

"Then homeostasis will save him." The man moved his finger.

A gun cocked loudly against Taran's head.

"Wait, don't!" Mimi screamed, trying to get over to Taran but another man grabbed her, holding her firm.

A bright golden flash erupted and golden sparks arced outwards, crashing into all of the men and throwing them across the room. Vines wrapped around Matt, Mimi and Taran and tugged them across the room. Taran felt his head spin. He hadn't even had time to be emotional about the situation and now it was over. What had just happened?

Hououmon stood in front of them and a huge hole, formed by smashing apart one of the tunnels, was behind.

Rosemon looked around nervously, her vines now like spears, one in each hand as she searched for an enemy. "Sorry it took so long, Mimi."

"I'm more sorry I couldn't get these men on side. Right now, we need allies more than we need enemies. "

"Maybe we should leave." Hououmon said as they quickly noticed themselves being surrounded.

Matt cracked his neck. "Luckily, that old man likes to watch TV." Matt pointed at the small TV that was now near them. It crackled in between a weird comedy show and a cartoon, fizzing uncontrollably. "Ready?" His eyes flashed blue and then they were gone.

With a thud, they were tossed out into a grassy area. Matt shook his head. "Going like this is so unreliable." Pushing himself to his feet, he dusted himself down and glanced around.

Mimi helped Taran into a sitting position next to her. "Well, I guess we have went on a really long, random route to get to where we need to be. But I'm pretty sure it was the fastest route."

"Pretty sure?" Matt sighed, rolling his right shoulder to crack it. "Why wasn't Izzy the one to turn himself into data?"

Taran still felt really shook up. He could have died back there. He stared ahead, at the stone wall in the distance with a house looming behind, but he wasn't looking at it; not really, at least. He was lost inside his head. What was most confusing was that he just nearly died and instead of being afraid of it happening, he now felt a reason for everything. This was really serious and maybe he hadn't been thinking of it like that. He looked up at them. "Have you ever seen anyone die?"

Mimi and Matt were utterly shocked, with Matt recoiling at the question. Mimi placed her hand on his and they looked at each other. "I don't think that's something we should talk about."

Taran shook his head. "I want— I need to know."

Mimi looked at Matt, a pained expression on her face and then back at Taran. "I've had some of my friends and family die, but I wasn't there. Not really." Mimi paused, her mouth open but no words coming out. "I've only seen one person die…" She half smiled, her lip trembling. "But that was enough."

Taran could tell she was really sad and felt bad for asking but he had to know. He had to know who he was doing this for and why. If he was so magical then someone had to explain things. "All your friends—the old Digidestined—what happened to them?"

Matt nodded at Mimi. "Dead."

Taran was speechless. Why did none of them do this like Matt and Mimi had?

"Tai died first, and it went downhill from there. Sora…" Matt shook his head. "She was…" He gritted his teeth, looking up at the sky and then shook his head. "Killed on TV." Shaking his head, he added, "To make an example of us all."

Mimi nodded. "Kari and Izzy died next. After that it was one after another… Yolei, Joe, Cody, Ken." Sighing, Mimi grabbed Matt's hand, squeezing it. "Just us left."

"How did they die?" It was morbid curiosity at this point, but he couldn't help it.

Mimi looked at Matt but he shook his head and said, "Killed. By the same people attacking Japan now. Anti-Digimon armies, run by the UK and America. It's different now, lesser, but there's still those that want rid of Digimon for whatever reason."

Mimi stood up, brushing some grass off her dress. "Why don't we walk and talk over to that house there?"

Taran got up slowly. He was done talking about that now. "How does Pumon get stronger?"

Matt patted Taran on the back and they began to walk. "Well, you already saw him Digivolve to Punymon, his Champion form, right?"

Taran nodded.

"Digivolution is activated, like I mentioned, when your bond is strong, so if you and Pumon keep good friends and keep fighting, you'll keep getting stronger and stronger."

Mimi stopped. "Matt, you feel that?"

Matt nodded.

Taran looked around then at the ground. "Feel what?"

"The connection to the human world is really strong here. It must have been used as a Digiportal recently." Mimi looked around. "Maybe they're in there."

Matt grabbed Mimi's wrist. "If it's strong it means we can just jump here to anywhere we want. We promised to take Taran home, remember?"  
Mimi turned back. "I just thought…"

"Probably just some of those rebels lurking around." Matt nodded to Taran. "You ready to go home?"

"How do you know that's where we'll pop out this time?" Taran asked, frowning. So far, they had been everywhere but.

"I can practically feel it in the air." Mimi inhaled sharply and grinned. Holding up a finger, she gasped. "One last thing. There's one other Digimon who's been a pain recently."

"Who?" Taran asked.

"You can't say his name. He has some ability that summons him when you do. But if you ever see this pop up on your Digivice, then get Pumon and run." Mimi held out a hand to Matt, who handed her a pen from his jean pocket. She scribbled a name on Taran's arm and then handed the pen back to Matt. "It's been fun meeting you Taran. When the time's right, and you're ready, we'll be here."

Taran looked at her then Matt, and saw both their eyes flash blue before he was thrown out into the snow.

Looking up, he saw a very familiar front door.

* * *

 **A flit back to Taran. What will happen with him next? Is this the end of his journey? You'll have to keep reading to find out :)**

 **I don't own Digimon.**


End file.
